Survivors of Another Race
by DarkHelm145
Summary: Before the fall of Shinganshina, humanity had it's best graduating cadets. The top seven were all Oriental, a group that were shunned by the populace. However, these seven did not concern with that and only focused on what they wanted. Following the destruction of Shinganshina, the seven joined separate regiments, all in hopes of finding where they belong.
1. Chapter 1

Survivors of Another Race

Chapter 1

The Day Everyone Remembers

Aomine awoke to the sound of a metal coil retracting and boots landing on grass. He lazily opened his eye and saw that Momoi was standing in front of him with her hands on her hips, and with an annoyed expression. He let out a sigh and sat up against the tree he was resting on. With an annoyed grunt he turned towards his childhood friend.

"Any particular reason you decided to wake me up?" Aomine asked, while scratching the back of his head.

Momoi crossed her arms, the movement caused the two metal boxes around her waist to sound. "We're supposed to be assisting the Garrison Regiment with wall maintenance. It's our last assignment before choosing our own regiment.

Aomine let out a sigh. He hated the world he was born into. Hiding behind walls was not something he would consider happy. Granted he was happy the walls existed, it kept the monsters on the other side from entering. The only way of venturing outside of the walls was basically suicide and no one was willing to do that. He glanced at the emblem on his shoulder, the emblem of a cadet joining the military. He had wanted to become a soldier, as it was the only way to see beyond the walls, but knowing what it cost he was having second thoughts.

"I know that, but what's the point. Nothing's going to happen. Besides I already know what regiment I'm going to join."

He knew the choice was simple. He and others in their cadet corps, like Momoi, had taken the top spots in their long years of training. As long as you made it into the top ten, you had shot at becoming one of the Military Police and stay behind the furthest wall. It was the only way to stay safe; not that it mattered too much, but it was better safe than sorry.

"You did get number two," Momoi said with a shrug.

"You got the seventh spot. You joining the MP's too?"

"Don't know yet. But Tetsu gave a pretty convincing talk about joining the Scouts."

Aomine's eyes shot open in surprise. He looked towards Momoi, who silently played with the pink strands of her hair, with concern and worry. "You can't be serious. That's suicide!"

"That may be true, but he seems determined to join them. Regardless that he made it into the top ten."

"Where is that idiot? I'll make sure he doesn't join that suicide squad," Aomine said, prepping his maneuver gear.

"On duty, like the rest of us. I don't know which station though. We were sent out before he was," Momoi answered.

Aomine scowled. "Then I'll just have to check all of them."

Aomine walked past Momoi, but before he could get any farther he felt a tug on his jacket. Aomine turned around to see Momoi staring wide-eyed towards the wall. She then pointed in the direction she was looking and Aomine followed. His jaw dropped open as his eyes widened. He saw massive amounts of steam and two large, red hands grabbing onto the wall. Aomine composed himself and launched himself towards the nearest rooftop. Momoi followed him and perched herself next to him. Then, from the smoke, a large, skinless head loomed over the wall. It's eyes were cast by shadows, but Aomine knew what he was looking at: a titan. However, this titan was different from the ones he was used to seeing, rather the descriptions of them. This one was skinless and seemed to only a head taller than the wall, he did not know of any kind of titan that could be that big. Behind him, he heard the roof tiles shift. He looked back to see that Momoi had fallen to her knees, her hands covered her mouth, and tearful tears were forming. All of a sudden, there was a giant gust of wind and rocky debris was shot in all directions. The gust caused both Aomine and Momot to be thrown from the roof top and onto the stone path under them. Aomine felt the wind got knocked out of him as his vision slowly became black.

—

Aomine sucked in a breath as he regained consciousness. He slowly sat himself up and got reacquainted with his surroundings. He looked behind him, but could not see Momoi. His blood ran cold at the thought of what might have happened to her, but he shook the thoughts out of his head and focused on the problem at hand. Aomine stood up and took a second to regain his focus. He rubbed his forehead and propelled himself with his maneuver gear towards the nearest roof top.

From his vantage point, he saw citizens of Shinganshina running in all directions. Then he saw just what they were running from. As large creature towered over everything, slowly moving forwards. Aomine's eyes widened, this was the first time he was seeing a real titan. A real titan, the thought played over and over in his head, he was seeing a real titan. He watched helplessly as it grabbed a women. He watched the woman plead for her life, but the creature would not listen. It simply opened its mouth and dropped the woman into it. With the closing of it's jaws the woman's screams were silenced. Aomine watched all this happen and could not move a muscle. He tried to steel himself by drawing his blades, but it was no use; he was scared. For the first time in his whole life, Aomine was scared.

A shadow then loomed over him. Aomine looked to his side and saw a titan towering over him, simply staring with it's soulless eyes. He tried to move, he had to move, but his body would not let him. He was too scared to move. It's giant hand grabbed him and it slowly brought him towards it's open mouth. There was nothing Aomine could do, he was paralyzed with fear. Then, in a matter of moments, the titan began to bleed from behind it's neck as a chunk of it's flesh fell to the ground. The titans grip on him loosened and he fell back onto the roof. He heard the sound of roof tiles shifting and next to him stood Momoi, drenched in titan blood.

"Dai-chan, we need help civilians escape before we can go over the wall! It's the orders we've been given!"

Aomine took a moment to register her words before nodding. He stood up, reloaded his blades and followed Momoi into the fray. He could not help but notice the tears in Momoi's eyes.

—-

Kise let out a breath. He watched, perched from a tall building, the monsters that poured through the hole. He knew what his job was and he had to get started. The initial shock of seeing the head of a titan loom over the wall had caused him to become paralyzed with fear. He would only watch at the gate was broken and the debris flew every where. It was only when he finally saw a titan lumbering through the streets that he composed himself. He knew what his real mission was and he had to it fast. He weaved from rooftop to rooftop, slicing at any titan that were in his way. He kept his eyes looking towards the streets making sure he could save as many people as possible. He wanted to find his friends, but he knew they were likely making sure the civilians were kept safe too.

However, he kept his eyes on the streets for a split second too long and a large hand caught him. It's grip was tight and the collision had caused for his blades to break and he had no way of reloading them. He looked towards the face of the titan that caught him, it had short, black hair and it had an emotionless expression. He watched as it opened it's mouth and slowly bring the blonde towards it. Kise let out a humorless laugh, at least he was dying in order to let others escape. Normally he would screaming, pleading for his life, but this was not the case. He simply accepted his fate and waited for a moment that would not come.

The titans grip on him loosened as it began to fall towards the ground. He landed on a rooftop and watched as the titan slowly began to decompose. He looked towards the adjacent roof top and saw a tall boy with a single strand of bright, purple hair. Kise smiled and launched himself towards him.

"Thanks for the save, Murasakibara-cchi."

"Oh, you were about to be eaten," Murasaibara said, lazily.

Kise let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Anyways, we have to make sure we save as many people as possible."

"I know. At least I won't be bored," Murasakibara said, before he launched himself towards the nearest rooftop.

"Oi, wait for me!"

The two continued their surveillance of the streets, taking down any titans that were near civilians. However, for as many as they would kill, ten more would take their place. The two landed on a rooftop and took a moment to catch their breaths. Kise wiped the sweat from his forehead and surveyed the surrounding areas. He could see members of the Garrison Regiment doing their best to kill titans and herding civilians towards the gate in order to escape. He pitied them to an extent as they were all caught unaware by the horde of titans, but they still scrambled to figure out what to. He face palmed and let out a humorless laugh, he criticizing the regiment he wanted to join.

"If you're rested up, we need to keep going. A lot of civilians have been evacuated, but there's still a lot of titans," Murasakibara said as he launched himself towards another rooftop.

"Hey! Could you stop with leaving me behind?"

—

Akashi looked on from the top of the wall, his cadet jacket was on his shoulders, fluttering with the wind like a cape and arms crossed. He had watched the events unfold from the opposite wall. He watched with an unflinching, cold gaze. He had been ordered to go out and save people, but he knew doing that was suicide. Akashi was not one to follow orders from a scared superior. Unless that superior was giving him order that he knew were not crazy, he would follow them without question. He had told this to the solider giving him the order and he wanted to argue that he was disobeying a direct order, but with a single cold glare form Akashi's heterochromatic eyes silenced him.

He watched as countless soldiers shot from rooftop to rooftop either killing titans, attempting to kill a titan, or being killed by a titan. He watched on with cold indifference, the only ones who he knew were still going to be alive were his fellow top ten cadets. The thought almost made him smile.

He focus on the destruction in front of him was broken when he heard the sound of metal coils retracting. He turned his head to the side and saw a young man with a strand of green hair and glasses. He brushed of the blood from his clothes with his hands before turning towards the redhead.

"I see you're still up here," the young man said, pushing up his glasses.

Akashi nodded. "I wasn't about to jump into the fray with the frantic orders we were given, Shintaro."

Midorima sighed. "Only you can get away with doing this."

Akashi turned back towards the city taking his final sight of it. He knew they would soon give the order to evacuate then shut the wall for good. "Are the others still alive?" Akashi asked, not turning away from the city.

"I think so. I saw Kise and Murasakibara not too long ago. The others, I'm not so sure."

Akashi gave a satisfied nod. "This city is lost. We should begin the evacuation of the soliders. Well, what's left of them."

Akashi then turned away from the city, with his jacket blowing in the wind. Midorima rose an eyebrow. "You don't care for those who laid down their lives?"

"I do, but what can we do about it now."

Akashi launched himself with his gear off the wall and towards where all the soldiers were gathering in preparation for their retreat. Soon after, Midorima landed next to him. The two saluted their superior officer who officially gave out the order to retreat and to close the gate.

—

Kuroko had finally made it to the rendezvous point with the other soldiers. He panted as he stood up straight. He was lucky enough to never have been spotted by a titan, but also could not help but stop and try to save as many people as he could. Seeing so much death around him was not going to stop him from saving people, instead of himself.

He looked through the group of soldiers all desperately trying to move the evacuation with as much haste as they could. Civilians were being loaded onto boats as fast as they could, some boats went over the amount of people they could hold.

Kuroko's mind drifted towards his fellow cadets that were stationed in Shiganshina just before all hell broke loose. He knew, in the back of his mind, they were all going to be fine, but a part of him still worried. He looked through the crowd of soldiers for his friends, but could not see them. He could not even see Murasakibara, who always towered over others.

As the gate was slowly closing, Kuroko could hear high pitched screams and cannon fire. Kuroko could faintly see a titan barreling down the street towards the gate. He was caught by surprise when a cannon ball seemed to just bounce off it. As the gate slammed shut, Kuroko moved on instinct. He shot two cables towards the wall and perched himself on it. Then as if out of a nightmare, the titan burst through the gate. Debris and smoke flew in all sorts of directions, but Kuroko could see the titan clearly. It had short, grayish, blonde hair and pupil-less yellow eyes. However, its most distinct feature was it seemed to be covered in boney armor. The titan let out a gust of steam, causing Kuroko to shield his eyes. When he opened them again, the titan seemed to have disappeared and all that was left was a gaping hole in Wall Maria.

Kuroko's jaw hung open. He knew it was only a matter of time before titans began to pour in and they had no way to plug the hole. Kuroko looked down towards soldiers below, they were all scrambling to find a way to escape. He turned back towards the top of the wall and shot himself towards it. When he landed, he saw a decimated city. Fires raged, buildings destroyed, bodies littered the streets. Kuroko gritted his teeth and reloaded his blades, he was ready to jump back into Shiganshina and kill more titans.

As he was about to jump, when he felt a tug on his jackets collar. He looked back to see Momoi, clutching her hands against her chest. She looked at him with sadness.

"Momoi-san."

"Don't, Tetsu. There's no point now," Momoi said with sadness in her voice.

Kuroko ignored the sadness, he was too frustrated that someone was stopping him from going out. "No point? You saw what happened! I have to do something. A titan just doesn't disappear into thin air!"

"But going back is suicide!"

Momoi's words stopped him. He looked back towards the battered city and could see lingering, lumbering titans, looking for stragglers. He tightened the grip on his blades and sheathed them.

"I've made my decision, I'm joining the Scouts. I have to make sure something like this doesn't happen again," Kuroko said, determination etched on his face.

Momoi walked up to him and stood next to him. She looked towards her friend, his light blue strand of hair shined in the sunlight. She grabbed her own strand of pink hair and gave her own determined look.

"I'll join them too. I don't want to be scared again."

Kuroko looked towards Momoi with concern. "You don't have to."

"I want to. Plus, I got to watch your back," Momoi said, turning to him with a smile.

Kuroko nodded in response and the two began their long trek towards Wall Rose.

 **AN: So, I did what I said I was not going to do, I started another story. I mainly wrote this because during my creative slump, Attack on Titan really helped in getting back into the groove. So much so that I decided to cross it over with Kuroko no Basket. I took a lot of cues from this first chapter from another story called** _ **The Evolution of a Miracle**_ **by aomomoendgame (wow, just now I realized what that username said). The reason for this is because while reading that one I thought that was the best place to insert the main KnB characters. As of right now, I don't have this story all the planned out so updates will be sporadic, similar to my other stories. But do expect at least three chapter before the year is over. I really want to finish another story I'm working on before I fully dedicate myself to this one. With that out of the way, I do hope you enjoyed this first chapter and if you did follow, favorite, and review. If you have any input on this story feel free to PM me.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Separation

It took nearly two full days for all the soldiers to reach Wall Rose. All the surviving cadets gathered in Trost awaiting the ceremony to choose their regiments. The top seven sat amongst themselves. Aomine laid on the ground, Murasakibara was sitting, Kise rested against a pillar, Akashi stood against a wall with Midorima next to him, Kuroko sat as well with Momoi next to him.

Cadets that would pass by them eyed them with hidden disgust. They all knew how strong they were so it was no surprise that they were the ones to take more than half the top spots. However, a simple glare form Akashi would cause them to steer clear of the group.

Aomine let out a sigh and sat up. "Man, how long do we have to wait?"

Everyone turned towards him with their eyebrows raised.

"You do realize the entirety of humanity is on high alert, right?" Midorima asked.

"I just want to join a regiment already, just sitting around is boring," Aomine said scratching the back of his head.

"We're not just sitting around," Kuroko said.

"Yes we are. Ever since we reached Wall Rose, the only order we've been given was to 'wait for further orders'," Aomine responded.

"He's kinda got a point there, Kurokocchi," Kise said.

Kuroko rolled his eyes. He stood up and dusted himself off, causing everyone to look at him.

"Where are you going?" Akashi asked.

"I'm going to see if help is needed somewhere," Kuroko said turing away from the group.

Momoi stood up. "I'll go with him."

Aomine let out a breath and laid back down. "Whatever."

Akashi narrowed his eyes as the two walked away. He knew Kuroko was hiding something, but what it was, Akashi had no idea. Akashi stood up straight, garnering the attention of the others.

"I'm going to see what's taking so long."

"You do that," Murasakibara said lazily.

—-

Kuroko and Momoi walked the grounds of the building trying to find something to do, but every time they asked a superior for an assignment they were simply waved off. Kuroko let out a sigh and slumped against the wall.

"Aomine-kun was right. We really aren't doing anything," Kuroko said, hanging his head.

"Hey, it'll be fine. Sooner or later we'll be called to join a regiment," Momoi said with a smile.

"Thanks, Momoi-san."

As the two talked amongst themselves, Akashi walked the grounds in order to find the highest ranking officer. He looked around and found a group of Military Police talking. He walked up to them and made his presence know by clearing his throat.

"You need something cadet?" one solider said, disgruntled.

"I would like to know what's exactly going on, and what will become of the cadets that survived Shiganshina?" Akashi asked.

"You'll know when you need to know," another MP said, waving the red head off.

"I'm sorry, but I demanded for an answer," Akashi said.

The MP's turned to the redhead, all of them were not happy with Akashi's tone of voice. However, as soon as they turned they were met by Akashi's cold glare. The blood of the soldiers ran cold at the sight of it, his gaze alone radiated authority.

"T-The Scout Regiment is deciding who their new commander will be. The former one stepped down two days ago," an MP said with a scared tone.

"Thank you," Akashi said.

He turned away from the MP's and their paralyzing fear began to die down. They all breathed sighs of relief now that Akashi had left their presence.

"Man, that guy sure is scary."

The other MP's nodded in agreement.

—

As night fell over Trost, all the cadets were rounded up and taken to an amphitheater. The stage was lit up with two large pyres and the walls were decorated with the regiments flags. The unicorn symbolizing the Military Police, the roses symbolizing the Garrison Regiment, and the wight and blue wings of the Scouts.

Kuroko knew those flags well, but the emblem of the Scouts was something he considered beautiful. When he first saw them getting ready to embark on one of their missions, he could only admire their bravery. No matter how many people shunned them, he would always believe in them. In truth he could relate to the scouts for being shunned. He as well as his friends were shunned for being of a different race. In all likelihood, that was the main reason for why he wanted to join the Scouts; it was a place he could belong.

The cadets quieted down when a solider walked onto the stage. The soldier put his hands behind his back and stomped one foot, bringing all the cadets to his attention.

"Alright, cadets, here's the moment of truth for you. I know many of you were present during the darkest day in humanities history, but now is where you face your fears. Right here and now you can join one of these three regiments: the Scouts, the Garrison, and the Military Police. As many of you know, only those who made it into the top ten of your class are eligible to join the MP's. Now then, first up the Scouts," the soldier said.

All the cadets stomped one foot and saluted as the Scout's commander walked onto the stage. On the stage stood a tall man, but not taller than Murasakibara. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked like most of the people, generic. However, what set him apart was his stoic demeanor. Never once did his expression shift.

"Good evening everyone, I'm the commander of the Survey Corps: Erwin Smith. Many of you know of our mission, to investigate beyond the walls and set up outposts that serve to help humanity reclaim its lost land. Our mission has changed now. We now have the goal of reaching Wall Maria and sealing it. Are any of you willing you give your hearts for this goal?!"

There was a lot of murmuring among the cadets. Then there was shuffling of dirt as cadets began to turn away from the Scout's commander. However, Kuroko did not falter. His eyes stayed glued to the stage. He could see out of the corner of his eye Momoi twitch. He knew she was not fully convinced to join, but seeing him unswayed kept her standing. He could see Kise stop walking and turn back to the stage. Kuroko silently hoped the blonde would stay and join too, but his hopes were quickly crushed when Kise turned away. As he passed Kuroko, he whispered to him.

"I'm sorry."

Kuroko swallowed the lump in his throat. He wanted to cry, but why, he did not know. Murasakibara and Midorima turned away without a second thought. Kuroko remained still, he knew the Scouts was where he wanted to be. He then felt a hand placed on his shoulder. He looked to the side and saw Aomine look at him with a concerned expression.

"Don't do it Tetsu it's not worth it. Plus, if you don't join, Satsuki won't either."

Kuroko did not respond and simply shrugged off his friends hand. "I'm doing this, you can't stop me."

Aomine let out a breath. "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Aomine walked away, blurring into the crowd of the other cadets. Kuroko turned back towards the stage and saw Akashi standing in front of him, arms crossed.

"You will not join them, Tetsuya. That's an order," Akashi said sternly.

"I'm sorry, Akashi-kun, but I'll have to disobey that order," Kuroko said.

Akashi could see the determination in his eyes. The redhead knew nothing could convince him now.

Akashi let out a sigh. "When I rise the ranks of the MP's, I'll accept you if you transfer regiments."

"Thank you, but I doubt that will happen."

Akashi scoffed and walked away from him. Kuroko looked to his side and Satsuki stood there, now firm on her decision. He could see there were three more still facing the stage. In total, only five of them were going to join the Scouts.

"Those of you who remain, you haven taken your first steps in helping us save humanity."

Erwin saluted the five recruits and walked off the stage. The five recruits let out sighs of relief as the tension had dissipated. Kuroko quickly rushed to Momoi's side as she looked like she was about to faint. Momoi assured him that she was fine and regained her composure.

"Thank you, for staying," Kuroko said with a smile.

"I told you, I would watch your back no matter what," Momoi replied.

Kuroko chuckled. "I feel like Aomine-kun is going to need that the most."

"Not with the MP's," Momoi said.

The two teens laughed, their mood had lightened.

"How are you parents going to react when you tell them you joined the Scouts?" Kuroko asked.

Momoi's gaze fell. Her jovial laughter was overtaken by a deep sadness. "I'm sure they'd be frustrated, but happy with my decision."

Kuroko cocked his head to the side, unsure of what she was talking about. "What do you mean? I'm sure your family made it out, I could've sworn I saw them."

Tears began to form in Momoi's eyes and Kuroko finally understood what she had meant. He cursed at himself for not noticing and embraced the girl in a hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Momoi wrapped her arms around the teen and let out even more tears. "When I woke up from being knocked unconscious, the first thing I did was head home. My house was gone, a boulder had crushed it. I could see Dad's legs sticking out from under the boulder and Mom…"

Momoi's voice trailed off. Kuroko understood and did not press the subject and only hugged the girl tighter.

"That's why I joined with you. I don't want anyone else to suffer that fate. That skinless Titan is something that should vanish from the face of the Earth," Momoi said.

"And we will do it," Kuroko assured her.

The two teen separated and Momoi quickly began to wipe her eyes. Kuroko placed his hand on her head and gave her a reassuring smile. Momoi sniffled and smiled as well.

The sound of a throat clearing caught their attention and they noticed Erwin standing in front of them. The two saluted the commander and straitened their postures.

"I didn't want to intrude on your conversation, it seemed personal," Erwin said placing his hands behind his back.

"I'm sorry if we did something that we weren't supposed to," Kuroko said, nervously.

Erwin let out a slight chuckle. "You did nothing wrong." He turned towards Momoi, who quickly straightened herself out. "At ease, we can be a bit more casual right now."

The two teens let out a sigh of relief as they slouched slightly.

"I'm here to ask about the language you two were speaking. I rarely hear it," Erwin said.

The two teens looked at each other and nodded.

"Not many within the walls know it. Even those who are oriental don't know it. Our families decided that it would be best to keep the language alive and so we speak it amongst ourselves," Kuroko explained.

"The others, are they the other five orientals form your cadet corps?"

Kuroko and Momoi nodded in response.

Erwin placed a hand on his chin, in a pensive state. "I see, would it be possible to learn this language, or could you teach it to me?"

The two teens looked towards their commander with curiosity. They never knew of, for all intents and purposes, an outsider who wanted to learn their language.

Momoi gave a hesitant nod. "I don't see why not. However, may I ask why?"

"Simple, if the two of you are going to be in our ranks I'd like to be able to communicate with you as simply as I can," Erwin explained.

The two teens looked at each other and nodded. "It shouldn't be a problem to teach you. Though it does feel odd that we'll be teaching you something," Kuroko said.

"Nonsense, we all learn something new everyday," Erwin said confidently.

The two teens looked at each other and let out a small laugh.

"Well then, let me officially welcome you to the Survey Corps," Erwin said.

Kuroko and Momoi saluted their commander with determined smiles on their faces. Erwin then turned away form the two teens and began to walk away. However, he quickly stopped and turned back towards them.

"We'll meet tomorrow morning at the gate that leads into Wall Rose, we have an outpost there."

The teens nodded in response.

"Also, I'm sorry for your loss," Erwin said in a hushed tone.

Momoi lowered her head in sadness, but gave him a nod in response. Satisfied, Erwin walked away from the two leaving them alone in the amphitheater.

"Come on, we should get going," Kuroko said.

Momoi nodded and followed her friend towards the barracks.

—-

The next day, the five new recruits of the Survey Corps arrived at the gate of the wall. The five had gotten to know each other. The other three cadets joining were two boys and a girl. The girl was named Petra Ral, who became quick friends with Momoi. One boy was named Oluo Bozado, who had a bit too much pride for Kuroko's liking and was the oldest of the group. While the other boy was named Conner Walker, who was more quiet and reserved.

The five talked amongst themselves as they waited for the arrival of Erwin or anyone from the Scouts. They stopped talking when the sound of horse hooves got closer and closer. The group looked towards the sound, and saw Erwin and two other Scouts riding with him, with a wagon riding behind a horse.

The group stopped and Erwin ordered the recruits to get on the wagon. The recruits complied and they all got on. Soon after the gate opened and they were off within the wall. The ride to the Scout's base took about an hour and when they arrived, there were other members of the Scouts gathered there doing different chores. The five got off the wagon and were led into the base.

The group gathered in the mess hall, where the other two members that were riding with Erwin introduced themselves.

"My name is Hange Zoë. I head most of the research on Titans within our regiment."

They all quickly noticed how full of energy Hange had. It was almost as if they were bouncing off the walls.

"Name's Levi," the young man, now named Levi, said.

Each recruit stood up one by one and said their names. Kuroko went last, and the people around him seemed surprised that he had just appeared.

"How long have you been here?" Hange asked, adjusting her glasses.

"The whole time," Kuroko replied.

"Well, you're an interesting one," Levi said monotonously.

Erwin cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Now that you've met your superiors, for the next month, you will spend time learning our scouting formations as well as separate into different teams. This will be done based on your skills. Beyond Wall Rose is Titan land and things will get difficult."

"Sir!" the five recruits said in unison.

"Come on, newbies. I'll show you to your stations," Levi said as he stood up from his chair. "Also, your new uniforms are ready."

The five recruits turned to a box that held their new Survey Corps uniform. Kuroko held onto his and a smile formed on his face. He put on the jacket and felt his pride swell. He had made it. Now all that was left was to go beyond the walls.

Momoi looked towards her friend and smiled as well. She put on the green cloak and followed the group back outside.

—

The next few weeks the new recruits, plus veteran soldiers, were being taught a new long range scouting formation that Erwin was implementing. Most of the solider considered the formation and noticed it would minimize casualties as everyone could see flares being fired. With everyone agreeing with the formation, it brought a sense of satisfaction to Erwin. He had tried to implement the strategy under the previous commander, but he had not agreed to it.

The five recruits spent most of their time together. Talking amongst themselves about how their first mission will go. Momoi and Petra would talk, while Kuroko and Conner found themselves becoming close friends. Meanwhile, Oluo seemed to more than happy talking to himself.

"To be honest, I'm really nervous to go on the expedition," Conner said.

The three friends turned to him. He let out a nervous laugh, he did not like being the center of attention.

"Why did you join the Scouts, Conner?" Kuroko asked.

Conner turned towards the teen, but quickly turned away. "You did, Tetsuya."

Kuroko's eyes widened in surprise. "I did?"

Conner nodded. "When we trained, I'd see you giving it your all despite not being the best. You would say that you would join the Scouts without hesitation, made me want to join them as well. Seeing you say no to the top 2 also helped."

Kuroko placed his hand on Conner's shoulder and gave him a smile. "I'm gland you joined."

Conner turned to the two girl who gave him encouraging nods.

"Thanks guys," Conner said, with a smile forming.

Petra then stood up and turned to her friends. "We should get back to work."

The three nodded and got back to work.

"Oluo, we need to get back to work!" Petra called out.

Oluo turned towards her and let out a groan.

Kuroko and Petra worked at the stables, feeding the horses and grooming them every so often. The two walked towards the creek near by and filled two buckets each. They returned to the stables and filled the horses water station. Petra let out a breath and wiped her forehead of sweat.

"So, how long have you know Satsuki? Are you from the same town?"

Kuroko stood up, rubbed his hands on his shirt, cleaning them off and turned towards her. "No, we're not. I'm from a small town within Wall Rose. She's from…" Kuroko's voice trailed off. He wanted to say it, but something was stopping him. However, Petra caught what he was trying to say.

"I see. I'm assuming she lost people that day. I saw you comforting her when she chose the Scouts," Petra said.

Kuroko nodded in response. "We should start sweeping the hay back into the stables."

Petra nodded in response. She did notice how quickly Kuroko changed the subject. It was obvious to her that that subject was not something he wanted to talk about. She then noticed him touching the bright blue strand of hair, and began to wonder about that.

"What's with the blue in your hair?" Petra asked as she began to sweep.

"It's nothing, just something I was born with. My mom has the same thing, just on the left side instead of the right," Kuroko explained.

"What about Satsuki? She has pink strand of hair."

"Maybe the same reason as me. We didn't really think much of it," Kuroko replied.

"'We?'"

Kuroko nodded. "The seven of us all have something particular about us in our appearance; being oriental, not withstanding. For most of us, it's our hair."

"I see. I like it though, it matches your eye color," Petra said, returning to work.

Petra could not see, but Kuroko blushed hearing her words. No stranger had ever complimented him before, much less a girl. He shook his head and turned his attention back to his work.

—

A few days later, most of the Regiment was gathered in the mess hall of the base. The five recruits, minus Oluo since he kept boasting that he deserved to be there, which confused the other four, were surprised at being called as well. Erwin stood in front of everyone, with his usual stoic composure.

"Alright, now that we're all here, I have an announcement to make. Our next expedition has been put on hold. Currently the government is planning on a massive campaign to retake Wall Maria. Not only will us soldiers be involved, but so will civilians. I'll be back soon to say who will be joining in this endeavor. For now keep your skills sharp and continue your already assigned duties."

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers said in unison.

The large group began to disperse and talk amongst themselves up the upcoming campaign. Most knew it was a way to cut down the population in order to keep the food from running out. Some were cautiously optimistic that it would work.

The five cadets had differing opinions on the matter. Satsuki was vehemently against it, calling it something akin to murder. While Oluo said it was a way for him to show off his skills and kill Titans. Kuroko and Conner kept quiet about the topic, while Petra seemed to be against it as well.

"Ah, there you five are," a voice said behind them.

The five turned towards the voice and saw Erwin walking up to them. The five saluted their commander, who quickly told them to be at ease.

"You five will not take part in the plan to retake the wall. I've made some arrangements to have some of our best soldiers stay behind while some experienced ones go off and fight," Erwin explained.

Petra and Conner fought letting out a sigh of relief. While Kuroko, Satsuki, and Oluo kept their composure.

"The operation is said to take place next year while the government secures supplies. I'm counting on you five to stay sharp during this period. Focus on training, for I'm sure one day you'll become some our best soldiers."

"Yes, sir!" the five said in unison.

They all had determined smiles on their faces. They were also happy that Erwin had complimented them and their skills.

—-

The day of the operation to reclaim Wall Maria had arrived. Out of Trost, 250,000 civilians accompanied by several hundred soldiers were sent out. From the top of the gate, Kuroko, Momoi, Conner, and Petra watched as thousands were sent to towards their deaths. Some people seemed to know what the real reason for the operation was, it was easy to read form their faces. While others did not seem to know. They looked like they could succeed. The sky darkened just as the gate opened and slowly people marched form the safety of Wall Rose out towards a land infested with Titans.

Momoi felt tears running down her cheeks and turned away from the sight. She could not bear the sight of seeing so many lives being killed off for just so others could survive. She understood the rational behind it, but she still did not want to believe it.

Kuroko saw how his friend was feeling and understood. He was lucky enough to find out his family was not sent off, but knew that several others from his village were selected. He walked up to Momoi and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Use this as motivation. Motivation for when we go out, you can avenge everyone," Kuroko said.

"I will. I also hate those in power. I wonder if they can live with themselves knowing they sent so many people to die," Momoi said, with a hint of rage in her voice.

Kuroko nodded and turned back to see the last of humanity's forces exit Trost and go out, beyond the wall, for a lost cause.

 **AN: Here is another chapter for for ya. There are gonna be a few of these in between chapters until the battle of Trost. Their main purpose is for character development and the OC, Conner, idk yet what he will do. Tbh I don't think I'll kill him early, or at all. As far as a pairings go, I'm kinda leaning towards KurokoxMomoi, but that's my last concern at the moment. Well with all that out of the way, if you enjoyed it follow, favorite, and/or review. Stay tuned for the next one!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The First Expedition

A few months after the massive operation to reclaim Wall Maria, the ones sent out returned and less than 200 people, soldiers and civilians alike, survived. Kuroko, Momoi, Conner, and Petra watched silently as the few who survived entered into Trost. Frustrated, Kuroko tightened the grip of his fist as he watched people who had horror etched on their faces.

 _Dammit, why did this have to happen? Why did so many need to die?_ Kuroko thought.

Momoi turned to her friend, who was just as frustrated as him, and could see the anger on his face.

"We should head back," Momoi said.

The four soldiers turned towards the girl and nodded in response. They jumped on their horses and headed back towards the Scout Regiment's base. When they arrived, there was a somber atmosphere around them. Everyone moved about in relative silence, barring a few people conversing here and there. The four returned their horses to their stable and walked into the main hall of the base. There, Erwin and Levi were looking at a map and talking in hushed tones. The sound of the door closing brought their attention to the group. Erwin's face morphed into a smile, but it was quickly taken over by his usual stoic expression. Levi, meanwhile, had his usual scowl.

"Ah, you're back. Come over, we wanted to talk to you four," Erwin said.

The four nodded and walked over to the commander and the captain. They were quick to notice that the four had also the same somber expressions the rest of the soldiers had. Erwin looked towards Levi who nodded.

Levi stood up from his seat and gave a quick glance towards the four.

"Petra," Levi said as his gaze shifted towards her, "Come with me for a minute. Where's Oluo?"

Petra seemed to give it some thought, but it was obvious that she was more confused that Levi had singled her out. "Not sure. Probably boasting somewhere."

The other three stifled laughter at Petra's response. Levi let out a low grunt which quickly quieted the group. As Levi began to walk away, Petra stood up and quickly followed him, leaving only Kuroko, Momoi, and Conner. Erwin looked over the three quietly, while the silence was starting to become awkward for the other three. Erwin then cleared his throat and turned his attention to the three.

"I want you three to form a small squad. I noticed that you three work well together so keeping you three together seems like the best option," Erwin said.

The three looked at each other, they had not been expecting to be told that by Erwin.

"But sir, we're still new to all this," Kuroko said.

"I'm aware. However, because of your teamwork, it makes the most sense to keep you together. When it comes time for the formation, you'll be the ones keeping track of titans we find and taking them out when whenever the time comes," Erwin explained.

The three nodded in response.

"Who would be the 'leader' of our team?" Conner asked, putting air quotes around leader.

"You can decide amongst yourselves that, but I do have a feeling you already know," Erwin said. "Dismissed."

The three solider stood up, saluted their commander and walked out of the main hall. They gathered under a large tree and began to talk amongst themselves.

"So, Tetsuya, you'll be leading us, right?" Conner asked.

Kuroko turned towards him with a surprised expression. "Why me?"

"It's obvious," Momoi said, "you're smart and you're instincts are one of the best in our cadet corps."

"But you're smarter than me, Momoi-san," Kuroko said, turing to her.

"I'll be your strategic adviser," Momoi said with a smile.

Kuroko turned to Conner, who also had a smile. Kuroko could not help it, but he smiled too.

A few days later, as the Scouts prepared for their expedition, Kuroko was doing his daily chores. While fetching water for the horses, the grey sky began to rumble. Kuroko looked up and began to feel drops of water on his face. Kuroko pulled up the hood of his cloak and quickened his pace back to the stables. However, he was caught by the oncoming weather and when he returned to the stables he was soaked. Kuroko removed his hood and fills the horses water bowls. Kuroko wiped his forehead of the rainwater. Luckily his upper body was clean, but his boots were soaked. Kuroko clicked his tongue in frustration as he ran his hand up them. He turned his attention to the side when he head the crunching of grass. He looked to the side and saw another solider escaping the rain. The solider removed their hood, revealing Momoi. Kuroko did a double take as he saw his friend. Her hair was noticeably shorter, reaching the bottom of her neck. He could not help but blush seeing her, but he quickly turned away before she could notice.

Momoi turned towards Kuroko and gave him a warm smile. "Got caught in the rain too, huh?"

Kuroko turned towards her, his blush subsiding, and nodded. "Yeah. Was getting water from the creek for the horses."

One horse neighed and Momoi quickly turned to calm the animal down. Kuroko stood up and moved towards the startled horse. He could hear Momoi talk to the horse, she soothed it with her words.

"Someone got startled by the thunder," Momoi said with a laugh, he hand still petting the horses neck.

"He seems to be the most nervous of all of them," Kuroko said.

"Well, animals sometimes can sense things us humans can't," Momoi said, turing to him and smiling.

Kuroko blushed slightly, and nodded. "By the way, I noticed you cut your hair."

Momoi moved her hand towards her hair. Absentmindedly touching the strand of pink. "Yeah, we're probably going to face a lot of combat situations and long hair will likely get in the way." She smiled towards him.

"During training as cadets, you kept it long," Kuroko said.

Momoi turned back towards the horse, still soothing it by rubbing her hand back and forth on its neck. "Well, I always had it back in a pony tail so it wouldn't bother me as much. Now, though, we're going to fighting for our lives. I don't want anything that might get in the way from keeping me from dying."

Kuroko moved on impulse and quickly grabbed her hand. The quick movement startled the horse.

"Momoi-san, _I_ will make sure you don't die," Kuroko said, determination etched onto his face.

Momoi could see the look in his eyes and she could see his feelings were genuine. She had seen those eyes in him before, during their time as cadets. Each time they trained with the dummy titans, he would always give the most effort. Now his determination was to protect her. Granted she appreciated that, but she could defend herself.

"I appreciate that, Tetsu, but I can handle myself," Momoi said, taking her hand out of his.

She turned away from him and returned to calming down the horse.

"I know, it's just you said-" "I know what I said, but I'm not some little girl that needs protecting," Momoi said, cutting Kuroko off.

Momoi let out a sigh. She rubbed the horse's neck one last time, before turing her back on him. "Tetsu, we look out for each other and rely on each other. However, in this line of work you need to accept that we might die. I'm just coming to terms with that, but I'm minimizing that opportunity."

Momoi pulled up her hood and jogged back into the rain towards the base. Kuroko let out a sigh, and the horse next to him neighed. Kuroko turned towards it and gave it a small smile. "Yeah, I get it."

—

The following week, the Scouts gathered at the gate leading out from Trost; right into titan territory. Kuroko glanced at his sides were and saw people gathered, watching the Scouts with disdain. Kuroko could see it in their faces, the belief that the Scout Regiment was just a joke and full of people with death wishes. Kuroko turned towards his friends, now squadmates, who gave him and encouraging nod. He looked towards the front of the group and saw Oluo and Petra next to Levi and two others. The three had found out that Levi had chosen Petra and Oluo for his own squad. They had found out through Petra who told them with a excitement etched onto her face. The four had grown closer as friends the more they spent time together and they knew they would have each others back whenever the time came for it.

Then, the sound of the gate opening brought Kuroko's attention forwards. It was do or die now. The moment Erwin gave the orders to advance he would be fully involved with the scouts. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone with blonde hair waving at him. He turned towards the person and saw Kise waving at him. He wore the roses of the Garrison Regiment on his back, he had indeed decided to join the Garrison. Kuroko gave him a thumbs up, which Kise returned with a smile. He also gave a thumbs up towards Momoi, who waved back.

Erwin's voice rang out and ordered the Scouts to move out and all that was heard was the clopping of horse hooves and carts going out a full speed. Going through the gate, seemed like exiting through a portal and when the gate was passed, a different kind of sunlight rained down. Kuroko felt took in the sunlight it felt like freedom, but he knew several kilometers north was another wall; the wall that changed everything. The Scouts began to ride into the plains that divided Wall Rose from Wall Maria and it felt somewhat liberating. Kuroko had never left his town from behind Wall Rose, his deployment to Shiganshina was the first time that he ever left Wall Rose. This time, however, seeing the terrain was a different experience. Kuroko could smell it, the death and lifelessness that surrounded him.

The Scouts began to separate, commencing their long range scouting formation. Kuroko, Conner, and Momoi positioned themselves on the left wing of the formation. Their official designation was as a support team, and they were responsible for taking out any titans that would pose a threat to the formation; even if the formation's primary objective was to keep fighting to a minimum.

As the regiment rode further into the plains, there began to be less and less trees. Kuroko glanced down towards his gear, wondering if they would be able to put it to use in such a flat area.

"Oi, Tetsuya!" Conner's voice rang out.

Kuroko looked back to see Conner pointing at something to his left. Kuroko turned towards the left and off in the distance saw a titan lumbering. He pulled out his flare gun and put in a red flare. Just before firing it, he took another look towards the titan. It was odd looking, from what he could discern. It had short, black hair and its arms seemed to dangle lifelessly on its sides. The most intriguing part was it seemed to have its head perpetually looking to the side and not straight ahead.

"I doesn't seem to have noticed us yet," Kuroko said holding up the gun. "Just in case though."

Kuroko shot the red flare and a few moments later, a green flare signaled the change in direction. Kuroko gave one last glance towards the titan, it felt odd to him that it had not begun to lumber towards him. However, in a few seconds he got his answer. The titan's head straightened himself in one quick motion and its piercing red eyes seemed to lock on to Kuroko. It then began to sprint at full speed with its arms flailing behind it.

"Crap, it's an abnormal! Shoot the black one!" Conner shouted as he unsheathed his blades.

Kuroko let out a curse and locked in the black flare. He held up the gun and fired it. He looked back to the sprinting titan, it was closing the distance between them at a fast pace. Kuroko drew his blades and prepared himself.

"Here's the plan, we high tail it to those trees and use them to maneuver. Someone distracts and the other finishes it off. It doesn't seem to be able to use its arms so this one shouldn't be that hard. Just avoid its mouth," Kuroko said.

His teammates nodded and got ready to attack.

—

On the other side of the formation, Levi and his squad saw the black flare shot into the air. Petra knew exactly where it was coming from and she was overtaken by worry. The rest of the squad noticed and would comfort her by saying that it could be anyone. However, Petra knew it was her friends and her worry just grew.

"Petra, if it is Tetsuya, he'll be fine. He has the uncanny ability to not be easily seen," Levi said, not looking back.

"Yes, Captain," Petra said.

She silently prayed that her friends could taken down the abnormal.

—-

The sprinting titan closed the gap a lot quicker than Kuroko was expecting. When they had reached a cluster of trees, the titan was almost on top of them. Kuroko grimaced and jumped off his horse while firing a cable towards the trees; his teammates followed suit.

"Let's go!"

The three shot off the trees and swarmed the titan. The creature began to flail its arms around trying to swat them down like flies. Momoi managed to cut one of its Achilles tendon while Conner got the other. Kuroko got into position above the titan and fired his cables at its neck. As he closed the distance, the titan flailed its arms back knocking Kuroko away from it.

"Tetsu!" "Tetsuya!"

Conner and Momoi returned to engage the titan as its tendons healed. As the titan began to struggle to stand, the two cut the ligaments in its shoulders causing them to fall entirely limp. Conner then got into position and cut the nape, killing the beast instantly.

Momoi rushed to Kuroko's side, who was struggling to stand.

"Conner, fire the green flare!" Momoi yelled.

"Got it," Conner said, rushing towards the horses. He took out the gun, locked in the flare, and fired. Green soared into the air another green flare fired confirming the kill and a change in direction. Conner got on his horse and took the other two towards his teammates.

Momoi sat Kuroko up, who was having trouble breathing.

"I'm fine Momoi-san. Just got the wind knocked out of me," Kuroko said as he tried to stand.

Momoi supported him as he tired to stand. Conner brought their horses and Kuroko got on his. He groaned as his side stung. He lifted his shirt showing a large purple and blue bruise.

"That looks bad," Conner said with a worried tone.

"I'm fine. I can take care of it later. We have to get back into formation," Kuroko said. He cracked his horse's reigns and hurried back into the formation. Conner and Momoi exchanged a worried glance before following the teen.

—

As the Scouts continued to ride well past noon. The sun's heat began to intensify as the sun rose higher into the sky. As they rode, Kuroko kept a hand on his bruise. He had applied a small amount of ointment to it in order to sooth the pain, but that was begging to fade.

At about two pm, action began to surge from behind them. A large amount of red flares were fired, signaling titans. The Scouts were being attacked form behind. Kuroko let out a curse as he caught sight of all the red coving the sky.

Commander Erwin rode in front of the group and he too noticed the red flare covering the sky.

"Commander, we've been attacked from behind. What should we do?" one solider asked.

"Rely this to all the squads: there's a town not too far ahead, make haste towards it and we'll intercept the enemy there. Perhaps we can also set up a staging ground there as well," Erwin order. His usual stoic demeanor ever present. The two soldiers at his side looked at each other for a moment, but complied with his order nonetheless. "And if you see Tetsuya's squad, make sure they are alive."

The solider heading for the left side nodded in confirmation and rode to rely the orders. Erwin then pulled out a green flare and fired it forwards.

Kuroko's squad noticed it and and questioned why Erwin had everyone still moving forwards.

"Shouldn't we confront the enemy if they're coming at us from behind?" Conner asked.

"Direct confrontation will lead to more casualties. As long as we can out run the enemy, we can minimize casualties," Momoi said.

Kuroko looked behind him and could not see and titans n the horizon. If he was being honest with himself, he would prefer not to encounter another titan. The fight against the abnormal was tougher than he expected. His side began to sting again and would hurt the more he thought about the fight.

 _That dumb thing was just flailing around and I was too blind to see it,_ Kuroko thought.

"Tetsu!" Momoi's voice broke him away from his thoughts.

Kuroko turned back and saw a titan was lumbering towards them. It was not as fast as the abnormal, but it could still haul ass as Conner had put it. Kuroko prepared to fire a flare, but two Scouts appeared behind the creature and cut it down. Kuroko let out a relieved sigh as he turned his attention forwards.

"Tetsuya!" a different voice called out.

Kuroko turned to the right and saw a solider hurrying towards him.

"Order from Commander Erwin: we're to continue straight ahead and engage the enemy in an abandoned town," the solider said.

Kuroko nodded and prepared to continue ahead.

"Also, Commander Erwin wants to know about the encounter with the abnormal," the solider said.

"We took it down. I got hurt trying to defeat it, but nothing major," Kuroko explained.

The solider nodded and began to head towards the next squad.

It took another twenty minutes to reach the abandoned town. The soldiers tied their horses to trees and convened on the roof tops. On the horizon the rear squad was being followed by a group of about fifteen to twenty titans. Kuroko steeled himself, ready to take on the enemy. Behind him, he head the shifting of roof tiles and the retracting of cables. He looked back to see Petra with a relieved expression.

"Oh thank god. I was worried when I saw the black smoke," Petra said, panting.

Momoi and Conner smiled towards the girl. "Yep, we're alive. Conner here got the final blow," Momoi said, using her thumb to point at Conner. Conner meanwhile, gave a sheepish smile and put a hand behind his head.

"I'm just glad no one is hurt," Perta said.

"Well, it got a bit dicey for Tetsuya," Conner said, gesturing towards him with his head.

"Are you all right?" Perta asked, the concern and worry were easy to spot in her tone.

"I'm fine. It's just a bruise," Kuroko responded.

Their conversation was cut short when Erwin and Hange arrived. The four soldiers saluted their commanding officers. He nodded towards each of them before his gaze fell on Kuroko.

"I see all of survived the fight with the abnormal, I'm impressed," Erwin said.

"We couldn't have taken it down if we weren't a team, sir," Kuroko said.

"Are you injured?" Erwin asked.

"Just a bruise sir," Kuroko answered.

"So, how did the abnormal fight?" Hange asked, getting hyperactive.

"Uhhh…" Kuroko quickly glanced towards Momoi and Conner, who could only shrug. "Well it seemed to act like an owl with the way it turned its head. It just snapped its attention towards us similar to how an owl can move its head 180 degrees."

"I see that is odd and awesome!" Hange replied with stars in their eyes.

"Also its arms were just dead weight. It couldn't control its arms past the shoulders," Kuroko added.

"Huh, that's new," Hange said.

"That's enough chitchat. The enemy is closing in, the rear squad just entered the town," Erwin said, before shooting off to another rooftop.

Kuroko, Momoi, and Conner got into position, waiting for their chance to strike. Then, as the titans neared, the earth seemed to shake with their footsteps. Kuroko tightened his grip on the blades. For those watching, their jaws dropped when the first titan just dropped to the ground with the nape falling behind it. They turned their gazes towards the rooftop to see Kuroko getting ready to fight again.

"How fast is he?" Mike asked surprised.

"It's not that he's fast, Mike, he's just a ghost," Erwin said with a small smile forming.

Soon after more titans began the run rampant in the abandoned town. The soldiers scrambled to battle positions and began to cut down the titans. Kuroko ran along the rooftops with Conner and Momoi close behind. Kuroko heard a scream pierce the air and stopped dead in his tracks. He looked towards where the scream came from and saw that one scout was grabbed by a titan. Kuroko shot his cables on a chimney and launched himself towards the solider to save them. In a swift motion, Kuroko cut the nape causing the titans grip to loosen.

"Conner!" Kuroko called out

"On it," Conner said.

Conner managed to catch the solider who was falling and get them safely on a rooftop.

"Thank you," the solider said taking in breaths.

The solider was a boy, he looked only a few years older than Kuroko. He had black hair and black eyes.

"No problem. I'm not gonna let anyone die on may watch," Kuroko said. "What's your name?"

"Simon," the solider, now named Simon, said.

"Nice to meet you. Where's your squad?" Momoi asked.

"We got separated, they should be around though," Simon said.

"We'll find them. Now, come on, there are still enemies left," Conner said jumping back into the fight.

"And he was timid before," Kuroko muttered.

The three soldiers followed Conner's lead and jumped back into the fray. Kuroko felt his bruise acting up again, but he ignored the pain and continued to fight. As the fighting raged throughout the town, Kuroko and his squad had cut down several more titans. However, all the commotion in the town caused more titans to appear and now Scouts were beginning to fall in battle. For each soldier Kuroko tried to save two would fall fighting. Simon was lucky enough to get reunited with his squad mates which were a boy with short black hair and glasses and a girl with short light brown hair, they were both his age. Due to the fighting they could not introduce themselves, but promised to when the fighting was over.

When the sun was beginning to set, the final titan had fallen. Kuroko, Momoi, and Conner sat on a roof top taking in their breaths. They had survived their first battle as members of the Survey Corps. Next to them landed Simon and his squad.

"Looks like we made it out alive," Simon said, as he sat down.

"Yep, though I'm pretty sure Erwin is going to give the order to retreat soon," Conner said, turning his head towards the sky.

"By the way, what're you names?" Kuroko asked.

"My name is Rachel," the girl said.

"I'm Jonathan," the boy with glasses said.

Kuroko nodded. "Tetsuya Kuroko."

"Satsuki Momoi."

"Conner Walker."

Before they could continue talking, a blue flare was shot into the air; the signal for retreat.

Conner shot to his feet. "Welp, time to get to our horses."

The five soldiers around him nodded and they quickly mounted on their horses. The ride back felt somber, granted only about thirty soldiers had died, confirmed dead was a more precise word. Kuroko glanced towards Momoi and Conner, each of them had their own sullen faces. Kuroko knew that the feeling of defeat would come with each mission even if casualties were not that great. Kuroko tightened the grip on the reins of his horse, it was only his first mission, there would be many more to come.

"Momoi-san," Kuroko said.

Momoi's head perked up at the mention of her name. "Hm?"

"I made the right choice in joining the Scouts," Kuroko said.

Conner's head perked up to at hearing those words. He and Momoi exchanged a glance, unsure on how process their friend's words.

"What do you mean?" Momoi asked, concern rising in her voice.

Kuroko placed his hand on his bruise, he winced at the sting of pain. "There expeditions we go on, the more likely we'll get stronger."

"That was always the plan, Tetsuya," Conner said.

 _I was right Akashi-kun, I'm not going to accept your invitation to the MP's_ , Kuroko thought.

They rode all the way back to Trost, where a large group of people were waiting at the gates. He could hear the murmurs of those displeased with the regiment, but Kuroko blocked them out. However, for every murmur filled with disdain, there were a few laced with kindness. Those were the comments Kuroko would hear, the ones the mattered.

 **AN: Here comes to a close Kuroko and Momoi's first expedition. Leading up to Trost, I will be writing about all the GoM's time within their regiment and a few more things sprinkled in. I hope you liked this chapter and the events that unfolded I might put in another expedition chapter, but idk yet as I want to get to the main storyline of AoT. If you liked this chapter and/or, follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already. Stay tuned for the next one!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Here we are with another chapter. It's shorter than I expected, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Remember, I do not own KnB or AoT!**

Chapter 4

Watching From Above

Kise watched as the Scout Regiment all passed through Trost's gate and they became a blur on the horizon. As the gate closed, he stretched his arms and let out a grunt. _Time to get to work,_ he thought. He jumped from the roof he was perched on and onto the street below. He silently walked among the populace and could feel the side eyed glances his way. Being oriental was not something he could easily hide and he was a usual target for harassment. Growing up, he had gotten used to it. He had thought that his blonde hair and yellow eyes would make him seem less ostracized, but his hair did not hide his appearance.

When arrived at the Garrison headquarters, he greeted his fellow soldiers with a friendly wave, which they did not return. He walked the corridors towards his squad's room. He opened the door to find his squad mates huddled around a map. A closer looked proved it was schematics.

"You're late," one soldier said.

Kise placed a hand behind his head and gave a nervous smile. "Sorry, Captain, seeing out the Scouts took longer than I thought."

The captain rolled his eyes and motioned for Kise to come over.

"They're going to be installing the new cannons soon. Our job is to assist in setting them up," the captain said.

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers said in unison.

As the squad began to exit, Kise followed them, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw his captain.

"Yes, Captain Yuri?" Kise asked.

Kise was placed under the squad of Yuri Krzemien, a veteran of the Garrison regiment. His squad, when Kise had joined, was full of odd ones. His second in command was somewhat of a flirt and there was one who could not speak in coherent sentences. The other two seemed normal, but the one with glasses was quiet.

"I know your friend is in the Scouts, but try to not get too attached to him," Yuri said.

Kise rose an eyebrow and placed a hand on his hip. "Why would I do that? He was one of my best friends during our cadet years."

Yuri let out a sigh. "I had friend in the Scouts too. When he didn't come back from a mission, it really hit me hard. That's why I'm saying this to you."

"I know he won't die. He's practically invisible," Kise said.

Yuri rose an eyebrow at the statement, but before he could say anything Kise was already on his way out of the room.

—-

At the top of Wall Rose, a group of Garrison architects were inspecting the old cannon with the new one next it. Kise watched as the architects discussed something with Captain Yuri. Kise turned towards the horizon, to where the Scout Regiment had disappeared to. He glanced down to the titans below, clawing at the wall. He wondered how his invisible friend and Momoi were doing, he hoped that nothing had gone wrong with the mission.

"Hey," a voice called out to him.

Kise turned to see a young man with glasses and ash-blonde hair. This was Seig, or at least that was what Kise knew him by, he did not know his full name.

"Worried about the Scouts I presume?" Seig said crossing his arms.

Kise shrugged. "I can't help it. It's funny though, I almost joined them."

Seig uncrossed his arms and straightened himself out. "Joined them?"

Kise nodded. To be honest, he did not know why he had the urge to join the Scouts that night. Maybe it was Erwin's words and charisma. It was also possible that Kuroko had put the thoughts in his head and Shiganshina brought those feelings out entirely. _Shiganshina._

"What made you decide to not join them?" Seig asked.

Kise glanced down the wall and pointed at the titans below. Seig looked down to see the titans that clung to the wall and nodded.

"I see. You were at Shiganshina."

Kise nodded. "Seeing titans just gobble people up and almost dying, I became scared. When choosing regiments, that fear returned so I turned away from the Scouts."

"Oi! Ryouta, Seig! Get your butts over here!" Yuri called out.

"Yes, sir!" Seig replied. He turned to Kise. "Come on."

Kise nodded and followed his superior.

The cannon installation took several hours and it was only one. Kise could tell that by the time they had finished, it was past noon as the sun's heat was as strong as ever. Kise used his jacket sleeve to wipe his forehead of sweat. He looked out towards the horizon again, the blur of the Scout Regiment could not be seen. Kise let out a sigh turned back towards the cannon, Yuri was looking it over along with the Garrison architects.

The new cannon looked similar to the old ones, but Kise had studied the schematics and knew there was more to the new cannon than eyes could see. For instance, the cannon could fire stronger rounds and be reloaded at a quicker pace. Kise glanced down at the titans again, knowing that if the cannons were tested, they could be blown away, but would still regenerate.

In Kise's mind, the face of the Colossal Titan appeared. Kise's eyes widened and he let out a surprised gasp. He was ready to draw his blades, but he quickly calmed himself down. _Relax, it's all in your head._ Kise turned towards the cannon, he began to wonder if it would have an effect on something like the Colossal Titan. He shook his head, trying to get those thoughts out of his head.

"Alright, we're heading back to headquarter. Know that we know how to set the cannons up, we'll dave to double our work time!" Captain Yuri said.

"Yes, sir!" the squad called out.

The soldiers made their way towards the wooden elevator and began their walk back to headquarter. As they walked, Kise picked up his pace wanting to catch up to the captain. When he made it to his side, Yuri eyed him from the corner of his eye. He could see that Kise wanted to ask him something and he had an idea what.

"You're wondering when the Scouts will get back," Yuri said.

Kise gave a nervous smile and placed a hand behind his head. "I'm that obvious, huh?"

Yuri nodded. He placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, they'll be back soon." Yuri removed his hand and looked straight ahead. "Though you might not like how many come back," he mumbled

Kise cocked his head to the side, unsure about what Yuri had said. "Did you say something?"

"It's fine. Nothing you should worry about."

—-

At sunset, Kise was in his quarters; he had yet to take off his uniform. He would occasionally look out the window to see if he could hear the bells of the Scouts return, but he could hear nothing. As he went to close the window, the bells began to ring and civilians were saying that the Scouts were returning. Kise smiled and sprinted out of his room towards the barracks. He put on his maneuver gear as quickly as possible and shot out from barracks. As he did so, he could hear someone call out to him and tell him to return. Kise did not pay attention to the person and continued towards the gate. When he made it to the roof he had been perched on in the morning, he watched as the Scouts.

He was horrified to see how many losses and injuries the regiment suffered. He knew the cost of going beyond the walls, and he had seen the Scouts return a couple of times, but now that his friends were in the regiment he could now see clearly just what the cost was. His eyes shot around the group trying to find his friends. He spotted Momoi and saw that she was relatively unharmed. He looked closer and she seemed to talking with somebody. He looked to the side to see an empty horse. Kise rubbed his eyes and looked again. He let out a sigh of relief when saw Kuroko sitting on the horse that Momoi was looking towards.

He could see that his friend was hanging his head. Kise was unsure why, but he had an idea that it was to block out what the civilians were saying about the regiment. He could also see that Kuroko has one hand wrapped around his side. _Did he get injured?_ Kise wanted to jump down to confirm, but knew it was best to not do that. He saw Commander Erwin on his white horse as he strode in front of everyone, his usual stoic expression on his face. To his sides were a tall, dirty-blonde haired man and the solider Kise knew as Levi. Kise noticed how they would occasionally glance back and their eyes fell on Kuroko. Kise rose an eyebrow, wondering those three were so focused on Kuroko. _Did he do some thing to impress them?_ Kise turned his gaze towards the wall, wondering what had happened out there and what they had fought.

—

Kise returned to his quarters just as night fell over Trost. After putting his gear back in the barracks, he found himself letting out a sigh of relief as he closed the door to his quarters. He turned on the gas lamp of his room and took off his Garrison jacket. As he set it on the desk in his room, he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat which made Kise's blood run cold. He slowly turned to see Captain Yuri leaning against the back wall. Kise swallowed nervously as he tried to greet his superior.

"H-Hey, Captain. What's up?"

Yuri removed himself from the wall and walked up to the blonde. To Kise's surprise, Yuri's expression softened and he let out a sigh. "You can't take gear or use it without authorization."

"Someone told you?" Kise asked.

Yuri nodded. "Hannes saw you shooting out from the barracks. He told me."

"Captain Hannes. He must've been the one who yelled at me," Kise mumbled. Kise remembered who the man was. He had blonde hair and reeked of alcohol, but he was kind hearted and had helped Kise find his squad.

Yuri nodded again. "I told him not to worry. I knew why you had shot out of the barracks, the Scouts were returning. A few others saw you, but I put their worries at ease."

Kise let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Captain."

Yuri held up one finger, which silenced Kise immediately. "Next time you want to do that, just run it by me first."

Kise smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Thanks a bunch."

Yuri let out a sigh and walked towards the door. Before he exited, he turned back to Kise with a somewhat happy expression. "I'm glad your friends are alive." Yuri then closed the door and Kise could hear his footsteps quiet down the corridor.

—

The next day, Kise was back up on the wall setting up another cannon. He worked with Seig and the solider that had trouble forming coherent sentences, Manfred, or as he liked to be called Fred. Fred did most of the heavy lifting as Kise and Seig focused on bolting the cannon to the ground.

"Hey, Fred, pass me that box. There's some stuff I need from in there," Seig said, while still inspecting the cannon.

"Yes, Seig sir!" Fred said, enthusiastically.

Seig groaned as he rolled his eyes. "The only person you have to call sir is the captain, Fred."

Kise could not help be laugh at the exchange. Despite his tendencies, Fred was still a reliable solider. The two continued to bicker as Kise continued to work. As the trio finished setting up the cannon, Kise noticed it was only a bit past noon. He turned towards his comrades who were resting and eating a light snack. Kise walked over to them as Seig tossed him a small ration. Kise opened the packaging and took a bite from the snack. Kise looked out towards the horizon, he found himself doing it often, it seemed to calm him down.

"Seeing the horizon, it somewhat calms one down," Seig said looking towards the horizon as well.

"Yeah," Kise said.

"Are you from Wall Maria?" Seig asked.

Kise remained silent. He turned his gaze west and Seig followed it. His silence was enough to give him an answer.

"I see. Did your loved ones make it out?"

Kise nodded. "My mother and sisters did. My dad was a solider."

Seig rose an eyebrow. "Was?"

Kise crossed his arms and turned away from Seig. "I never met him. He died before I was born. My mom or sisters never told me what regiment, but I always assumed he was a Scout."

"Sorry," Seig said lowering his gaze.

Kise shrugged and turned back to Seig. "It doesn't really affect me. My mom was not happy with me deciding to go to the military. Said she didn't want me following my dad's footsteps."

"But you did anyway," Seig said with a laugh.

"Yep."

"Alright, time to set up the next cannon!" Fred said jumping from his seat and seemingly unaware of what Kise and Seig were talking about.

The two laughed and followed Fred towards the next cannon station. Kise gave one last look towards the horizon and felt the wind brush against his face and ruffle his air.

"Oi, Ryouta! Stop staring into space!" Seig called out.

Kise gave one last look in the direction of his home and turned towards his comrades. "Coming!"

Kise jogged towards the next station, where another cannon needing assembly was waiting.

 **AN: And here comes to an end this short chapter. Once again, I apologize for the shortness of it, but finding what the write was a lot harder than I anticipated. Don't worry though, the next chapter will be a lot better and longer (hopefully). If you enjoyed, follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already. Stay tuned for the next one.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Here we go with a new chapter! It's another character building chapter so I hope it doesn't bore you too much! I hope you enjoy it. Remember, I do NOT own KnB or AoT!**

Chapter 5

Having Reached the Summit

Akashi sighed as he set down the papers he was holding. He sat in his office in the Stohess district, the symbol of the military police adorned on his back. He had just finished reading the report from the Scouts most recent operation and it was yet another failure. What had made him happy from the report was that Kuroko and Momoi had lived. As he looked over another set of papers on his desk, the was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Akashi said, not looking up.

The door creaked open and Akashi could hear the footsteps of someone as they neared his desk. Akashi glanced up to see who was visiting him. It was a member of his squad, a blonde haired young man with green eyes and a childlike expression.

"You asked for me, Captain?" the young man asked as he clasped his hands behind his head.

"I did, and I'm your captain, Kasper. I will not accept such relaxed behavior," Akashi said sternly.

Kasper quickly straightened himself and saluted his captain. "There. Is that so hard? At ease."

The blonde relaxed slightly. Akashi sized up his subordinate, it had only taken him half a year to rise the ranks of the Military Police to reach the rank of captain. Granted, he knew a part of that reason was that his family was a noble one, but he made it explicitly clear that he did not want his family name associated with him when he was in the military. Akashi stood up and walked towards Kasper, and handed him papers.

"I need you to give this to Commander Dok."

Kasper took the papers and made sure not to see them. "But he's in Mitras, sir."

"Actually, I'll take it to him. I have to go to Mitras myself anyways," Akashi said taking back the papers.

Kasper rose an eyebrow. "I can take them to him."

Akashi waved him off. "It's not a problem. I need you here."

"Yes, sir," the blonde said.

"Return to your duties," Akashi said, but his tone make it explicitly clear he was ordering him. "Shintaro will be in charge until I return."

Kasper saluted his captain and walked out of the office. As the door closed Akashi let out a sigh and got ready for his trip to Mitras.

—-

Akashi arrived to his familial estate and as usual two MP's were guarding the door. However, he noticed that there was carriage there. It was not one of the usual carriages that his family owned, but one of the royal council. Akashi swallowed nervously and walked into his home. As he closed the door he was quickly greeted by a maid. She was an older woman, someone Akashi knew since he was young.

"Greta, how long has it been?" Akashi asked with a smile.

Greta smiled at the red head warmly. "My, my, Seijūrō how you've grown and a captain of the MP's no less. As expected from someone of your caliber."

Akashi laughed. "You flatter me. How's father?"

"The same. Though he does spend more time in bed now," Greta explained.

"I see. It's slowly getting worse," Akashi said as his eyes fell. "May I see him?"

"He's with a visitor right now, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you entered," Greta answered.

"Thank you. It was great to see you again. I'll make sure to stop by more often," Akashi said as he walked away.

"Oh please, you're busy with your position."

Akashi laughed as he turned the corner. A few more moments and he reached his father's bedroom. Akashi has not seen his father since he decided to join the military and that was four years ago. He had seen him sparingly after his mother had died and he had caught a similar disease as she did; a disease that no doctor seemed able to cure. However, compared to his mother, the disease was taking its time reaching his father.

Akashi let out a breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in," a hoarse voice said, likely his father.

Akashi opened the door and closed it as he entered. He stood in front of the door and bowed.

"It's good to see you father," Akashi said.

"Seijūrō?" his father asked.

"Yes," Akashi said, still not upright.

"Rod, if you'll excuse me," his father said.

Akashi's eyes shot open. He looked up slightly to see that Rod Reiss was the one sitting by his father's bed. Rod was a somewhat portly man, something that came with being a noble, and he wore typical noble clothes. His facial features, however, looked like his was always downcast, especially his eyes.

Rod stood up and bowed slightly. "We can continue to talk about this matter later." Rod grabbed his hat and coat and started to walk towards the door.

Akashi straightened himself and stepped aside as Rod neared the door. Akashi tried his best to keep from scowling, he knew of Rod Reiss's secret and he disapproved of it. As Rod made it to the door, Akashi bowed slightly.

"Thank you for visiting my father," Akashi said, barely hiding his disdain for the man.

Rod nodded. "He is a close friend of mine and a member of the royal council. I see you're doing well in the military."

"Of course. I hope to understand how the military works before taking my father's place on the council," Akashi said.

Rod nodded again. "I wish for that, however, I do hope it's not so soon." Rod opened the door and exited the bedroom, leaving only Akashi and his father.

Akashi clenched his fists, trying to get his anger for the man to dissipate.

"I know you dislike him, but he is still our king," his father said.

"A kind who does not actually rule! He leaves out his subjects to fend for themselves under the guise of leadership! People are dying and there's nothing he's doing about it!"

"Things are difficult right now. We're still adjusting to living without Wall Maria," his father said.

"That's not the point, Father!" Akashi slammed his fist onto the wall and let out a breath. He took a moment to collect himself before walking over to his father's bedside. He sat down on the chair and gave a good look at his father. He auburn hair was greying and his face was wrinklier than when he had last seen him.

His father reached out with his hand and cupped his son's cheek and smiled warmly. "It's good to see you again, my boy."

Akashi took his father's hand. "Likewise."

His father began to cough and he quickly brought the hand he had on his son's cheek to his mouth. Akashi grabbed the handkerchief that was on his father's bedside and gave it to him. As he wiped his mouth, Akashi got sight of the blood on it and grimaced. _It is getting worse._

"Can you sit up, father?"

His father nodded and slowly began to sit up. Akashi stood up and assisted him by straightening the pillows behind him. His father let out a shaky breath and he settled himself in his new position.

"Can you give me the glass of water?"

Akashi nodded and handed him the glass. Akashi watched as his father slowly drank and noticed how his hand would occasionally shake.

"Father, are your hands okay?"

His father removed the glass from his lips and handed it back to Akashi. Akashi took it and set it back on the table.

"From time to time, they start to shake, but it's nothing you should be concerned with," his father answered.

"For now, I won't. Do at least get out of bed every once in a while?"

His father nodded. "Some days, I feel healthy enough to even attend council meetings."

Akashi smiled. "That's good. Just don't strain yourself."

"I hear that you're now a captain of the MP's. I'm very impressed."

"Greta told you?" Akashi asked.

"I can see it written on your jacket," his father said, pointing.

Akashi looked towards his jacket and let out a chuckle.

"And Greta did tell me."

Akashi laughed and his father chuckled as well.

"Yes, everything is going according to plan," Akashi said.

"Plan?" his father asked raising an eyebrow.

"Plan of me understanding how the military works before I take your place on the council," Akashi answered.

"I see. Well, if you're here in your uniform, that must mean you have an assignment. Don't let me keep you."

Akashi nodded and stood up from the chair. "Thank you, Father. I'm glad you are doing well." Akashi bowed and walked towards the door. "I'll make sure to visit more often."

As Akashi closed the door, he could hear his father beginning to cough again. He sighed as the door closed and began to walk out of the house. When he reached the door, he saw a man enter he wore a thin white coat and was looking through papers.

"Ah, Doctor, glad you could come by," Greta greeted.

Akashi's eyes widened and he walked over to the doctor. He placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder, which startled the man.

"Can I help you?"

"I want you to give me weekly updates on my father's condition. Am I being clear?" Akashi said, with the faint hints of a threat laced in his voice.

"I-I'm sorry, but your father?"

"This boy is the son of the master of this house," Greta explained. She turned to Akashi and she carefully removed his hand from the doctor's shoulders. "I'll make sure you get it, Seijūrō.

"Thank you, Greta."

Akashi composed himself and walked out of the house.

—-

It took some time to find Commander Dok after Akashi left his childhood home. When he found him, it seemed that he was a bit more irritated than usual. At the same time, it might have been the stacks of paperwork the Commander had on his desk.

"Commander Dok?"

The commander looked up to see the red head. Akashi saluted him and the commander put up his hand. "At ease."

Akashi clasped his hands behind his back, but kept his posture straitened.

"I'm assuming you're here to add to this pile of papers," the commander said crossing his arms.

"I'm sorry, but yes," Akashi said.

"Alright, give it here," the commander said reluctantly.

Akashi walked up to the desk and placed the file of papers on the desk. He took a few steps back and watched as the commander skimmed through the papers.

"Thanks for these."

Akashi nodded and saluted. He turned towards the door and before he could open it, Commander Dok cleared his throat garnering Akashi's attention.

"How's your father?"

"Slowly getting worse, but for now he seems fine. Thanks for your concern," Akashi answered.

"I see, give him my regards next time you see him."

Akashi nodded and exited the room.

—-

Akashi returned to his squads barracks and found it unusually quiet. Normally, Kasper would be jumping around the halls with Reynald telling him to stop. He passed by the mess hall where Elfriede usually was, but found it empty. As he walked to his office, he saw a young man with silver hair about to knock, it was Carsten.

"Carsten!" Akashi called out.

Carsten turned towards his captain and saluted.

"At ease. What do you need?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to know if you had returned," Carsten answered.

"Well, I have. Have you seen the others?"

Carsten placed a hand on his chin. "I think Shintaro has them doing chores by the living quarters."

"I see. I'm gland Shintaro could put you all to work. Tell him to meet me in my office please."

Carsten saluted. "Will do sir."

Akashi watched as the boy jogged and disappeared as he turned the corner. He let out a breath and entered his office. He glanced around and saw that everything was as he left it earlier in the day. He sat down and pulled the chair closer to his desk. He skimmed through the reports he had on his desk and glanced at the file with the report of the Scout Regiments recent expedition. He had already read it and confirmed they had lived, but his eyes kept being drawn to it.

He grabbed the file and placed it in the trash bin and forced himself to ignore it. Luckily he was able to ignore the file when a knock the door sounded throughout the room. Akashi composed himself and cleared his throat before allowing the person knocking to enter.

Midorima walked in and stood in front of the desk he saluted which caused Akashi to raise an eyebrow.

"What're you doing?"

"Saluting you. You are my superior officer after all," Midorima said with a straight face.

Akashi rolled his eyes. "At ease."

"Thank you, sir," Midorima said as he got into a more relaxed posture. "I don't know why you ask me to take charge of your squad when Reynald is your second in command."

"I trust you to keep them in line," Akashi said as his mouth twitched to almost form a smile.

Midorima crossed his arms. "Right. Anyways, how's your father?"

"How did you know I went to see him?"

"I'm not a moron. You originally wanted to send Kasper to deliver the file, but changed your mind and went yourself, no doubt to use the delivery as an excuse to see your father," Midorima explained.

Akashi chuckled. "Very astute of you. To answer your question, he's slowly getting worse."

"I see, I'm sorry you won't be able to cure him," Midorima said letting his arms drop to his sides.

"It doesn't matter at the moment, he's still healthy enough to do his regular routine."

"That's good," Midorima said.

"However, Rod Reiss was there today," Akashi said.

Midorima could easily see the disgust on Akashi's face. He knew he hated the man, but what reason he did not know.

"Shintaro, I have a plan to make this world a better place. Will you join me in making it a reality?" Akashi asked.

Midorima remained silent for a moment. He tried to read the red head's heterochromatic eyes, but it seemed impossible. However, he could see an earnestness to them a look he had only seen once when they were cadets in training. Midorima let out a breath and pushed up his glasses.

"I'll join you. Truth be told, I want this world to be a better place too."

 **AN: And with that, this chapter comes to an end. I hope you enjoyed it! With this chapter, I lay the ground work for something that's going to play out in the future. I hope what I write reflects how its playing out in my head. Only a few more chapter before I get to the Battle of Trost. In the next chapter we meet some familiar faces. Stay tuned for the next one! Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you're enjoying the story so far!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Here we go with another chapter. I hope you enjoy this one!**

Chapter 6

Where Everything Begins

A teen walked through a large gate accompanied by no one and a bag hanging from his shoulder. His gaze towards the floor and hands in his pockets, it is obvious he is trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone. To his left, he can head a group talking rather loudly, or at least, one of them was. The teen's gaze shifted towards the group, they were four and it seemed they were close. The loud one was a boy, who was jumping with excitement and saying something about the Survey Corps. The teen rolled his eyes and turned away from them, trying his best to ignore them.

The teen looked up and took in where he was. The area seemed to be a hole in the mountain, as if the area was dug out. Overall, the place seemed barren. This was the cadet training ground, the place where the teen would spend his next three years living. He turned towards the wooden structures that were tucked away in one corner of the barren area. He walked over to one of the wooden structures. He looked up and read the sign, barracks. He let out a sigh and walked in.

The other soon-to-be cadets shuffled about trying to find a cot. The beds were all bunk beds of two stories and the barracks were coed. He walked around the barracks, trying to find an open bed, finally managing to find one next to a boy with brown hair. The boy was talking with a rather short blonde haired girl.

"Excuse me," the boy said interrupting the two.

The two teens turned towards the him.

"Is this bed taken?" he said, pointing at the bed.

"I don't think so. No one's stuff is on it," the brown-haired boy said.

The teen nodded and set his bag on the bed before laying down himself. The teen took a necklace out his bag and put it on. He stared at it for a moment, as his mind began to drift.

 _I'm here now. Where are you though?_ The teen thought.

He let go of the necklace and turned over on his bed, trying to block the conversation between the brown haired boy and some girl he was obviously familiar with.

—-

The next day started early, with an instructor making sure every cadet was waking up at the crack of dawn. The teen let out a groan as he rolled out of bed. He looked up to see the short, blonde girl from yesterday was already up and ready to go. The brown haired boy said something, and the girl replied, but the teen tried his best to block them out. As he quietly put on his uniform, he overheard the brown haired boy say a name, Christa. The teen assumed that that was the blonde's name, so he committed it to memory. When the teen had finished putting on his uniform, he was the only left in the barracks. However, as he turned towards the exit, he saw the brown haired boy talking with a different blonde girl. The blonde girl seemed to asking the boy questions, but the boy would not respond. The girl walked away leaving on the boy, who seemed unable to move. As the teen walked to the door, he stopped by the brown haired boy who seemed to stare at him.

"Smooth," the teen said with a slight chuckle.

At the mess hall, everyone was gathered to eat a quick breakfast before orientation. The teen made sure to sit as far away from everyone as possible. Luckily, everyone seemed to get the message and would not sit close to him. The teen could hear all sorts of commotion going and it got to the point where he could someone get punched and crashed to the floor. The teen glanced up and saw a group forming in one corner of the mess hall. The teen sighed and ignored the commotion.

A few minutes later, all the cadets stood in rows as a bald man with a goatee walked in between them, clearly sizing them up. He then stood straight up in the center and took in a breath.

"Cadets, I'm Commandant Keith Shadis and I'm here to guide through through this hell! I want all of you to show me and everyone else here the respect they deserve! Is that understood?!"

"Yes, sir!" the cadets relied in unison.

The commandant walked in between the rows, sizing everyone up and occasionally talking to some; which led to a lot of insults. The teen ignored what they would talk about, but he silently prayed that he would not be in his crosshairs. During one of his chats with a cadet, that cadet got kneed in groin all for wanting to join the Survey Corps. Granted what the commandant said about having the ball for the Survey Corps was likely true. From there, he moved to a blonde boy with a timid expression.

"And who might you be?" the commandant asked, with his voice booming through out the courtyard.

The blonde saluted and stood up straight. "My name is Armin Arlert and I'm from Shiganshina."

The teens ears perked up at that. He glanced towards the blonde, who was still getting grilled.

 _He must've survived too, just like me,_ the teen thought.

"I feel as if, someone is drilling holes into my back with their eyes," the commandant said.

The teen turned his head forwards, but he was still caught by the commandant.

"Now, where did you come from, Ginger?" the commandant asked.

The teen saluted and stood up straight. However, he was slightly annoyed being called ginger. His hair might be red, but it still annoyed him. "I'm Taiga Kagami. I'm from Shiganshina, sir."

He could feel two stares come his way, and no doubt one of them was the blonde boy.

"So, another refugee. Are you here to get revenge or reclaim your lost home?" the commandant howled.

"Nothing of the sort. I had nothing in Shiganshina, I couldn't care less of its fate," Kagami said.

Audible gasps came from many, but a glare from the commandant silenced them.

"The why are you here?" the commandant asked as his eyelids narrowed.

"The way I see it, if I'm going to die, might as well die fighting," Kagami said.

The commandant straightened his posture and turned on his heel. "I look forward to your progress."

—

At night, as everyone convened at the mess hall for dinner, Kagami managed to sit alone again and everyone was steering clear of him. He knew it was about what he had said earlier, but was surprised that the blonde boy had not come over to him yet. However, he could feel his stares towards him and those were hard to ignore. Kagami could hear the shuffling of chairs and shouting and knew a fight had broken out. He glanced up and saw two boys at each others throats. Before anything could happen, the bell rang out signaling for everyone to return to their barracks. Kagami finished the last of his food and walked out of the mess hall. However, he did not get very far as one of the boys that was about to get into a fight stopped him, with the blonde boy beside him trying to calm him down.

Both of them were shorter than him, especially the blonde. The other boy seemed to have a scowl on his face and was clearly bothered by something.

"What's your deal?" the boy asked angrily.

Kagami rose an eyebrow. "Deal?"

"Yeah! Saying you don't care about what happened to Shiganshina! It was your home too!" the boy said, his tone rising.

Kagami let out a breath. "You know nothing about me. So, you don't have the right to judge my words."

"A lot of people lost loved ones on that day and that doesn't affect you?!"

"I'm sure you lost someone, but don't assume everyone had a happy life like you did," Kagami said, turing away.

Before his could start walking, the boy grabbed his shoulder. Kagami turned to face him, but saw the boy winding up a punch.

"Eren, stop!" the blonde yelled.

However, the boy did not listen and let his fist fly. To his surprise, Kagami caught the punch and seemed unfazed. The boy, now called Eren, let out a low gasp and his eyes widened.

"Not a bad punch. Someone got scrappy in the streets," Kagami said with a laugh. "However."

Kagami then formed his own fist and slammed it into Eren's stomach. "That was a real punch." Eren hunched over clearly trying to hold in his dinner while the blonde kneeled next to him.

"Eren!" a voice rang out.

Kagami looked up to see a girl with black hair jump up and ready punch him. Kagami dodged the punch and jumped back. Getting a good look at the girl, he noticed she was Oriental, just like him.

"So, you're like me, huh? From across the ocean?" Kagami asked.

The girl did not respond, she simply narrowed her gaze. Kagami shrugged. "Tell your friend there to leave me alone and you guys should too."

Kagami put his hands in his pockets and walked away from the three. He could feel those that were around staring at him, no doubt having just witness him punching Eren. He glanced back to see the black-haired girl and the blonde boy, Armin was his name, tending to Eren and helping him stand.

 _I'm not here to make friends._

—

The next morning everyone scrambled to get ready for the day, which involved ODM training. Kagami put on his cadet uniform at a slower rate compared to some of the others. The blonde girl, Christa was already up and at 'em just as the officer woke everyone up.

 _How does she do that?_

"Hey, Taiga, right?"

Kagami turned to see the brown haired boy that slept in the bunk next to his, was putting on his boots while he stared at him.

"Yeah?"

"Who's Tatsuya? You were muttering that name as you slept."

Kagami narrowed his gaze and leaned in close to the boy. "Never say that name again, and don't talk to me."

Kagami stormed out of the barracks, leaving the boy blinking in confusion.

Everyone gathered at the ODM practice ground and found a harness attached to wires. The commandant stood in front of everyone and gave them a run down of what they were going to be doing. Their task was to balance themselves in the air and that would form as a basis to use the ODM gear.

Cadets were called up one by one and did there best to balance, some were better at it than others. Sasha, the girl that was made run across the training ground, practically used the harness as a swing set. The girl that came to Eren's defense the previous night seemed to just float in midair and the commandant gave her high praise. The boy that got kneed in the groin seemed to balance himself easily enough; Kagami did not remember his name.

"Kagami!" the commandant called out.

"Sir," Kagami said as he walked up towards the commandant.

Kagami was strapped in and slowly raised up. Kagami could feel as his feet slowly left the ground and how he quickly lost balance. Kagami stretched his arms out and regained some of his lost balance, but he still felt wobbly. He closed his eyes, took in a breath, and released it to calm his nerves. He then loosened his arms and he felt weightless and balanced. He opened his eyes to see many of the cadets staring at him and commandant giving him an approving nod.

"Not bad. You were able to collect yourself quickly," the commandant praised.

Kagami was lowered back to the ground and as he felt his feet touch the ground, he let out a relieved sigh. He removed the harness and walked away from it.

"Jaeger!"

Kagami looked up to see the boy he punched last night, Eren, walk past him. He was clearly still angry as he eyed Kagami with a scowl. As their paths crossed, Eren bumped his shoulder into Kagami's

"Sorry," he murmured.

Kagami knew he did not actually mean it and no doubt did it on purpose. Kagami turned his head and watched as Eren walked away from him out of the corner of his eye. He moved to the back of the group to watch Eren's turn at the harness. As he was risen up, Eren tried to keep his balance, but was unable to and his face met the ground. He asked to try again and was given another shot, but the same result, this time his forehead hitting the rocky soil. He tried a few more times until it was obvious that the boy was moving in and out of consciousness. The commandant hand him lowered and the black-haired girl and Armin dragged Eren away to the infirmary.

 _Serves him right,_ Kagami thought with a scoff.

The commandant called up the next person and it took a few moments before the next person walked up. Up next was the brown haired boy that Kagami still did not know the name of. As he was lifted up and his feet left the ground, just as Eren before him, his face met the rocky soil. However, Kagami noticed how he seemed to be in pain. He asked to be raised again and as he was raised up, Kagami noticed how he seemed to be staring off into space.

 _This guy sure is weird. Hasn't he noticed he's balanced._

When the commandant got him out of his trance, the boy was surprised to find out that he had managed to balance himself. He began to cheer as the commandant confirmed that he had managed to keep himself balanced. When he was lowered, the boy joined up with people who were likely his friends. Kagami rolled his eyes and turned away from them.

Once everyone had finished, the commandant called it day and everyone began to disperse. As Kagami walked back to the barracks he could Eren walking angrily back to the harness, with his friends right behind him. He was partially yelling his words, saying that he was going to be able to balance himself. Kagami let out a sigh, that kid seemed hopeless to him.

He sat on bed for a moment and stretched out his legs, his feel his joints loosen as he bent them again. He took of his cadet jacket and set it aside and began to dress in his casual clothes. As he did so, the brown haired boy plopped himself on the bed with a sigh of relief. Kagami raised an eyebrow, but ignored him.

"Hey, what's up with you and Eren?"

Kagami looked over and saw the brown haired boy sitting up and staring at him.

"I thought I told you not to talk to me," Kagami said.

"Sorry, but Eren made it super obvious that he didn't like you," the boy said.

Kagami did not respond, he only narrowed his gaze.

"Is because of what you said about Shiganshina?" the boy asked.

There was a silence between the two that lasted for a long time before anyone spoke.

"I think so," Kagami said.

"Does it have to do with that Tatsuya person?"

Kagami whirled around, anger plastered on his face. "I thought I told you to not mention him."

The boy raised his hands defensively. "I know, but I'm just trying to understand you. We're comrades after all." The boy smiled and Kagami relaxed his shoulders.

"No, it doesn't. He's my brother and he joined the military," Kagami said with a sigh.

"Do you know the regiment?" the boy asked.

Kagami nodded no.

"Is that why you joined up, to find him?"

Kagami nodded no again. He let out a sigh and sat down on his bed. "I'm going to be honest with you and you better not say anything to anyone. I just need to get this off my chest."

The boy nodded and leaned in. "I promise."

Kagami took in a deep breath. "I want to die."

The boy let out a gasp and opened his mouth to protest, however Kagami continued to talk.

"I'm an orphan and grew up that way. I lived off the streets of Shiganshina and Tatsuya was the same. Then one day he said he was going to join the military, saying it was a better life than being an orphan and scavenging for food everday." Kagami ran a hand through his hair. "The next thing I knew I was alone. Then the titans attacked Shiganshina and in that moment all I could think of was that I was going to die and I didn't care. Death seemed much better than living and I still stand by that."

The boy could not believe what he was hearing. The teen in front of him had accepted death a long time ago, and was ready and willing to end his life. He wondered why he had not considered suicide yet, but he was not going to say that out loud. The boy swallowed and continued to listen.

"I joined the military thinking it was the best way to die. Suicide never seemed like an option for death," Kagami said.

There was a lapse in his speech, the boy assumed he had finished.

"That's a lot to live with. But why tell me?"

Kagami shrugged. "Don't know. You seem like the understanding type."

The boy let out a breath and leaned back. "I think you should keep on living. Find your brother, he clearly meant a lot to you."

Kagami glanced down to his necklace, something the boy caught.

"Was that his?"

"No, he has one just like it," Kagami answered.

"All I got say is, if you need someone to talk to, I'll try to be that person. Though, you should try and patch things up with Eren. You're both from the same place," the boy said standing.

Kagami chuckled. "You're defiantly a weird one."

"Huh, where did that come from?"

Kagami chuckled again. "Forget it, if we don't hurry. The rabid dog will eat all the food."

"While an apt nickname, don't call Sasha that," the boy said.

The two exited the barracks and began to walk to the mess hall. As Kagami went to open the door, he heard the boy clear his throat.

"Josh."

"Huh?" Kagami asked turing towards the boy.

"Josh Kassmeyer, that's my name. If we're going to be friends, might as well know my name," Josh said tilting his head to the side.

"We ain't friends. Just comrades," Kagami said opening the door to the mess hall.

"Close enough," Josh said following him in.

—-

In the trees, a group of five zipped through them. Bobbing and weaving expertly avoiding branches with precise movements. In the distance a wooden silhouette of a titan appeared. One in the group ascended while another descended. The other three spread out and slowed down their pace. Then the one the ascended, fired himself downwards and slashed as a soft portion of the wooden titans neck, simulating the neck. The one that descended slashed the tendon on its legs. Another one appeared and the group repeated the same process.

When the group finished they returned to the starting point of the exercise where commandant Shadis was waiting for them.

"Not bad, Squad Eight. However, the second target took too long to get," the commandant.

The group let out a groan, knowing that it was going that their speed was going to be docked from their final score.

"Alright, scram, so the other group can get started!"

"Yes, sir," the group said in unison.

As they walked back to main area, the group began to talk amongst themselves.

"Man, I though we'd for sure get a perfect score this time," a boy said.

"Relax, Connie, I think we still did well," another soft spoken boy said.

"I'm just happy we didn't fail," a timid man said on the verge of tears.

"Jeez, Dazz, you're such a drama queen," Sasha said.

"What about you, Taiga, got any input on our performance," the soft spoken boy asked.

"I think we did fine. You led well, Marco," Kagami said.

Marco placed a hand behind his head. "I think you're giving me a bit too much credit."

The group chuckled, minus Dazz who still looked like he was about to cry. It had been three years since the start of training, and the cadets that had yet to drop out were separated into groups of five. Kagami was placed in a group with Connie, Marco, Sasha, and Dazz. Kagami found that he worked well with the group even if one of its members were closest thing to useless someone could be. Whatever Dazz's reason to join the military was beyond Kagami's understanding.

Since then, Kagami had come to consider his squad as people he could trust, but still kept his distance. His squad had asked him why he was distant from them, however, he would never tell them why.

As the group walked away, the commandant eyed them out of the corner of his eye. More specifically, Kagami.

 _Taiga Kagami. Keeps to himself to the point that he ignores everyone, but seems to be more relaxed Cadet Kassmayer. Despite that, he is willing to work with his team. His skills also speak for themselves, being able to move around with precise movements. Though he tends to just sleep while they're in the classroom. He does have an air of death around him that affects those around him._

The commandant turned back to the next group going as he wrote something down on his clipboard.

When everyone had completed the ODM speed test, the cadets gathered in the field for hand-to-hand combat practice. This was the part of training that Kagami hated the most, mostly because Eren would always try to pair up with him and every time they spared, Kagami would knock Eren to the ground. After beating him, the black haired girl, who Kagami finally knew the name of: Mikasa, would always challenge him next, but Kagami knew better than to spar with her. His usually sparring partner was Josh, who, like many others, would give the least amount of effort in actually practicing it.

"I see you and Eren have yet to make up," Josh said as he tried to punch Kagami.

"I forgot about what happened, it's his fault for still holding the grudge," Kagami said avoiding the punch and launching his own. Before his fist collided with the teen's body, he stopped shot which caused Josh to flinch. "I see you're still scared of getting hit from my punches," Kagami said with a smirk.

"I know better than to get hit by you," Josh replied.

"Says the guy who's always getting flipped over by Ms. Hard Ass, Annie," Kagami said with a smug smile.

Josh sighed and shrugged. "I guess I walked into that one."

Kagami lightly punched him in the shoulder, which caused for Josh to let out a slight laugh. "Speaking of getting flipped over," Kagami said as he looked straight ahead.

Josh turned to see Eren getting flipped over and Annie locking his arm behind his back.

"Damn, that's gotta hurt," Kagami said, wincing at the sight.

Josh did not say a word and began to walk towards them. Kagami clicked his tongue at the sight. "He think's he not being obvious."

When night rolled around, everyone sat in the mess hall. As Kagami sat by himself as usual, Josh dropped his food try in front of him and let out a sigh as he buried his face in his arms. Kagami smiled smugly.

"Refreshing bath?"

"Not you too," Josh said, his voice slightly muffled.

"Word travels fast and I saw you sprint away from Jean with your towel wrapped around your waist," Kagami said with a snicker.

"Goddammit, how does one even make that mistake?" Josh asked as his head shot up.

Kagami shrugged.

"By the way, why don't you sit with us?" Josh asked changing the subject.

"We've been over this," Kagami answered. In their three years of training, Kagami had begun to know most of the cadets that were around. Granted, he never talked to them, he just knew who they were and what kind of people they were. He felt like he knew Josh's friends better than most just because he spent so much time with him and he knew just what kind of people they were. Two of them were obnoxious to an absurd degree, Jansen and Aline, but the other was a bit more levelheaded, Albrecht, Kagami could tolerate him.

"I know, but it wouldn't help to open up to others. We spend so much time together that they've begun to wonder what kind of a person you are," Josh said.

"You haven't anything about me, right," Kagami said as he narrowed his gaze.

"Not a word, trust me." Josh let out sigh and stood up, picking up his food tray. "Look, I'm just saying, give them a shot. Plus, Aline might have slight crush on you." Josh gave a sly smile.

"Yeah right, everyone knows she literally jumps on Jean. She's even less subtle than you," Kagami said with a laugh.

Josh rose an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

Kagami jerked his head in the direction of one of the tables. Josh turned his head to where he was gesturing and saw where Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie were sitting. Josh's face flushed red, someone else knew.

"Trust me, the act you two have may fool others, but not me. I picked up on it a long time ago," Kagami said, letting out another laugh.

Josh sat back down and leaned closer to Kagami. "How much do you know?" he said with a whisper.

"Let's just say, I know you two have a pretty solid relationship," Kagami answered.

Josh groaned. "She's going to kill me."

"I'm surprised she hasn't done so already."

Josh let out a sigh and stood up again. "Regardless of that, my offer to sit with us still stands."

"Sorry, but it's still no."

Josh nodded and walked over to where his friends were sitting, while Kagami ate by himself and in silence.

As he was just about to get up and leave, he heard the seat in front of him being pulled out. Kagami looked up to see Armin with the usual timid look in his eyes.

"May I sit?"

Kagami nodded and the boy let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks."

"Why are you here?" Kagami asked flatly.

Armin flinched, but quickly composed himself. "I know, we've never been able to speak and for the longest time, I just wanted to get to know you. We're both from Shiganshina, so I thought it would be easy to become friends.

Kagami narrowed his gaze. "I ain't looking for friends."

Armin rose an eyebrow. "But aren't you and Josh friends, or your squad?"

"We're comrades. Attachments like friends only get you killed in battle. Trust me, I know," Kagami said bluntly.

"How do you know that?" Armin asked.

Kagami looked towards his and could see the genuine interest in his eyes. Gone was the timid teen that had just sat down in front of him.

"It's none of your business."

"Then let me ask you this, why do you hate Eren?"

Kagami sighed and leaned back slightly. "I don't hate him. He just got too emotional with what I said and I guess he's still holding on to that."

"It's only when he sees you that he remembers what you said," Armin said looking down.

"Look, I'm sure he'll get over it. He just needs to focus on something else and not me," Kagami said standing up.

Armin nodded in response.

Kagami put his hands in his pockets and walked over of the mess hall and back towards the barracks. There was still a few months before graduation, so training was still going to be hell.

—-

The stars in the night shined brightly and all the cadets gathered for their graduation ceremony. They were all lined up by order of their class ranking, while in front of them stood the top ten: Mikasa, Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, Eren, Jean, Marco, Connie, Sasha, and Christa. Meanwhile, Kagami stood directly behind them having ranked number 15th overall. He could see out of the corner of his eye, Josh standing a row behind him. He and his friends had placed in the top thirty.

The commandant spoke about how they were going to join a regiment and what their duty entails. Followed by describing just how strong the top ten were. Kagami did not care for it, he just wanted all of this to be done and over.

The commandant stood in front of them and right in the center. "Cadets, in three days you'll choose which regiment you're going to join. I'm sure which ever regiment you do join, you'll use these three years of training to the fullest. Until that day comes, all of you will be reassigned to Trost, where you'll assist the Garrison with wall maintenance and patrol. However, that's for tomorrow, use tonight to rest and celebrate. Cadets, you are dismissed!"

"Yes, sir!" the cadets said in unison while they saluted.

The cadets gathered in a large mess hall where they ate and drank to celebrate their graduation. Kagami stood away from everyone and leaned against a column. He watched from a far everyone talking and celebrating, knowing this might be the last time he sees most of them. He gripped his necklace and let out a breath.

 _Soon we'll be reunited, be it finding each other in the military or where ever death leads._

On the table where Josh and his group sat, Josh eyed Kagami every once in a while, just to make sure he was still around. However, when he saw Kagami clutch his necklace tightly, he became worried.

 _Don't tell me he's thinking about it._

Josh set down his cup and stood up. "Excuse me for a sec guys."

His group nodded and continued to talk amongst themselves. Josh let out a sigh and walked towards the red-head.

"Hey, there. By your lonesome, as usual?"

Kagami let go of his necklace and rolled his eyes. "Haha, very funny."

"Look, why don't you join us, it's be much better than just standing around."

"How many times do I have to tell you the same thing?" Kagami asked.

"I know, but I just want to get your mind off of things," Josh answered.

"You're persistent aren't you," Kagami said, crossing his arms.

"One of my best qualities," Josh said with a smile.

"You're most annoying I'd say," Kagami mumbled. "You know what, I think I'm gonna get to bed. we gotta wake up early tomorrow."

He began to walk away from Josh when he felt a hand get placed on his shoulder.

"Oh no you don't. Not this time, just sit with us for a little bit. Even if you don't talk," Josh said, a sternness to his voice Kagami had never heard.

Kagami rolled his eyes. "Fine. Thirty minutes, then I'm gone."

"Awesome, now let me introduce you to everyone, officially," Josh said with a smile on his face.

As the two neared the table, the conversation between them had stopped. The four there look at Kagami, curious as to why he was there.

"Everyone, I know you guys know him, but this is Taiga Kagami," Josh said, introducing him.

"Hey," Kagami said raising his hand as a greeting.

"Well, I was wondering when I'd get to meet him," Jansen said, jumping from his seat.

Kagami blinked in surprise as the others were more then relaxed when he showed up. Kagami sat down and became the center of the conversation, even if those around him did not let him utter a word, not that he minded.

Kagami spent most of the remainder of the night with Josh's group of friends. He still found two of them obnoxious, and to an extent all of them, but still found himself enjoying the night. When they all parted way for the night, Kagami sat down against the wall of a building and looked up at the sky.

 _Maybe he's right. Maybe I should be a bit more open._

He then began to laugh to himself. "What am I saying? He's really gotten to me." Kagami realized that he was talking to himself, and was happy that no one was around to hear it.

 **AN: With that, this chapter comes to an end. Now we're on course with the main plot. I put in Kagami to have the final miracle present in this story. I know his personality is very different from his anime counterpart, but I did that to spice up the story a bit. Now, I think you noticed some OC's within this chapter. I would like to thank Legion117 for granting me permission to use them as they are his (check out his AoT story Winds Of Promise). They're going to be recurring characters throughout this story so if you want to learn more about them, check out their story. With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this story and stay tuned for the next part. If you're enjoying this story, feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Also, you can follow me on Twitter (link in bio) for story updates and other stuff I post there.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Crumbling Courage

A crowd of civilians and other soldiers were gathered by the gate of Trost. The crowd made way for the Scout Regiment as they prepared for their next expedition. The bystanders made comments about the Scouts that were more positive than they usually were. Catching sight of Erwin, they called out how Scout casualties had gotten lower since he took over as commander. When their gazes fell onto Levi, they began to call him by his nickname "Humanity's Greatest Soldier."

Levi scoffed at the nickname, while Hange egged him on to just embrace it. Behind them, Kuroko chuckled a bit. Levi caught the laugh and sent him a glare.

"Last time I checked, Tetsuya, you have a nickname too," Levi said.

"Hey, there's the Ghost!" one civilian clamored.

Kuroko groaned as Hange, Momoi, and Conner laughed. Kuroko's uncanny ability to be practically invisible while fighting, and in general, garnered him a reputation of being a ghost. He did not mind the nickname among his comrades in the Scouts, but it had somehow spread through the populace. He partly blamed Hange for it, but never outright said it to them. Kuroko turned towards the usual rooftop to see Kise waving towards him. For the last three years, Kise had always seen them out for each expedition. Kuroko smiled and waved back. He always found it as a relief to see him when they left and returned from an expedition. At least he could count on one of his friends to make sure he was okay.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the sight of a cadet watching him with starry eyes. He turned to Satsuki.

"How long before we head out?"

"In the next five minutes probably," Momoi said.

"That's enough time," Kuroko said hopping off his horse.

"Wait, where are you going?" Conner called out.

Kuroko spotted the cadet in the crowd and saw that he was with two others, a blonde boy and black haired girl. The girl caught his attention as she look oriental, just like him. He turned towards the boy that was staring at him, who seemed to be nervous just to be standing in his presence. The boy was a bit taller than he was, but still seemed to respect him. He went for a salute, but Kuroko raised his hand to stop him.

"No need for that."

"Yes sir," the boy said.

"What's you name?"

"Eren Yeager, sir," Eren replied.

"How about you two?" Kuroko asked gesturing to the two next to him.

"Armin Arlert, sir," the blonde, Armin, answered.

"Mikasa Ackerman," the girl, Mikasa, replied.

"Interested in becoming Scouts?"

Eren nodded enthusiastically while the other two were more subdued.

"I'm sure you three will be fine soldiers when you do," Kuroko said with a smile. "Let's just hope you fall under my command when you do."

Kuroko gave them a knowing smile as he turned away.

"I won't let you down, sir!" Eren exclaimed.

When Kuroko returned to his horse, he could see Momoi with a kind smile. Conner, meanwhile, rolled his eyes.

"Was that necessary?" Conner asked.

"I think it was nice," Satsuki said.

Before they could continue their conversation, the gate finished opening and Erwin called everyone to action. The scouts rode out of the district to the sound of cheers from the crowd. When the gate close, the crowd dispersed and returned to their daily lives.

—

As the gate closed, Kise let out a breath. _The same as always,_ he thought. Kise launched himself off the roof and maneuvered his way through the district back to headquarters. Today was when their regiment would show the cadets the ropes of the Garrison. That also meant that Captain Woermann was largely in charge. Kise never liked the Captain of the 1st division. Granted, he was the superior officer of Trost, but his composure was probably the weakest of all. When he arrived back at the Garrison headquarters, he met up with his squad and Yuri ordered him to show the ropes to one of the cadet squads.

His group consisted of three of the top ten cadets and three others. He guided the six to the cannons that needed maintenance and gave them the run down.

"Does everyone understand?"

"Yes, sir!" the six said in unison.

"Great, I'll be over there if you need me," Kise said pointing to another cannon.

As Kise got to work, he could hear the cadets talking amongst themselves. When one mentioned the the Scouts, he perked his ear in their direction. He heard that two decided to join the scouts after someone's speech. Kise let out a low laugh. He admired their fortitude. He had his chance to join the Scouts, but his fear of that day overtook him.

Before he could join in on their conversation, the retracting of metal coils and footsteps caused everyone to quiet down. Kise turned to see a Garrison solider looking towards him.

"Ryouta, Captain Kaplan requests your presence."

"Yuri? Why?"

"He said someone you know is here. They're waiting for you at headquarters."

"Someone I know?" Kise murmured. "Well then, better not keep Yuri waiting."

He turned towards the cadets who seemed to be taking their work laxly, but he ignored it.

"I'll be back. If that cannon isn't cleaned and up to standard, you'll have to work on additional cannons. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir!" the six said in unison.

Kise nodded and turned back to the Garrison solider. "Lead the way."

Kise arrived back at headquarters to see a few cadets still lingering, waiting for their turn to get on top of the wall, along with a few Garrison soldiers. He walked along the courtyard and found Captain Kaplan talking with Seig.

"Yuri!" Kise called out as he jogged towards him.

"You called for-" Kise's sentence was cut off by a swift jab from his captain in the stomach. "Why?" he asked with a groan.

"On duty, it's Captain Kaplan," Yuri said.

"My bad," Kise said, composing himself.

"Anyways, we got someone from your cadet corps stationed here for a bit. He's talking with Captain Woermann so he knows the basics around here," Yuri explained.

"But who is he?" Kise asked.

"He's got a weird name, but he's absurdly tall and has some purple in his hair that stands out," Yuri answered.

The realization of who it was, caused a happy smile to form on Kise's face.

"Murasakibara- I mean, Atsushi is here?" Kise asked, while correcting himself.

Yuri nodded.

"Oi, Kise-chin, that you?" a voice asked lazily.

Kise turned around to the see the his fellow cadet. He was still as tall as he last remembered. At two meters tall, Murasakibara was the tallest graduating cadet. Because of that size, he had to get adjustments to his gear in order to fight properly. To Kise, it seemed like his Garrison jacket was a size to small, but overall he was still the same. His stands of purple hair contrasted his normally dark brown hair.

"It's been awhile Murasakibara-cchi!" Kise exclaimed. "You were stationed at Karanese right?"

Murasakibara nodded. "Not much to do there though."

"I would imagine. What brings you to Trost?"

"Temporarily reassigned," Muraskibara answered.

"Whatever the case, it's good to see you again," Kise said with a smile. His eyes then widened in realization and let out a groan. "If you'd just arrived a few hours earlier, you could've seen Kuroko-cchi and Momo-cchi ride out."

"Oh, right, Kuro-chin and Momo-chin are in the Scouts," Murasakibara said lazily.

"You could at least sound a bit more interested," Kise said.

Off to the side, Yuri and Seig watched their conversation with great interest, even if they were speaking another language. It sometimes slipped their minds that Kise would speak in his mother tongue often.

"Man, they do sound like they know each other," Seig said.

Yuri nodded in response.

—

Kagami sat in the equipment room, making sure his gear was in peak performance. As he set down his gear, he let out a sigh. He was hoping that in Trost he would be able to find Tatsuya, but so far he had no luck in finding him. He had been there for when the Scouts were leaving for their expedition, trying to see if he was there, but he could still not find him. He hoped he had not died if he was in the Scouts, but deep down he knew that Tatsuya would not join them.

His mind then shifted to seeing that Scouts talking to Eren and his friends. He was just like him, an Oriental. What threw him off was the fact that the Scout had a streak of light blue hair that really stood out; he wondered why everyone was calling him Ghost. He pushed those thoughts aside and prepared himself for his turn for cannon maintenance. As he finished putting on his gear, Josh and his group of friends walked into the armory. He had been assigned to Josh's group, as the original cadet squads were separated; but, somehow, Josh' group managed to stay together.

"Already ready I see," Josh said as he walked over to the red head.

Kagami nodded in response.

"We didn't see you in the mess hall this morning," Albretch added.

"Wasn't hungry," Kagami mumbled.

"Let macho man do his own thing. If he doesn't want to eat let him be," Aline said. Despite her wording, her tone made sound a bit like an insult.

Kagami rolled his eyes. "See you guys outside."

When the group finished putting on their gear, they began their trek towards the wall. Their superior officer had told them to meet him there before getting started, so they could relieve the previous group. As they neared the wall, Kagami looked up and squinted at the sky. He noticed how the sky seemed to turn green for a moment. Then a lightning bolt fell from the sky. The ground rumbled as the bolt struck the ground and the group began to ask if it was an earthquake. Kagami pushed the questions out of his head and focused. For some reason, he had a feeling of deja vu. On the other side of the wall, there was a wall of steam and know Kagami defiantly knew something felt familiar. He turned towards the group behind him, all mesmerized by what was going on.

"Scatter!"

Then the gate kicked open and a gust of wind knocked everyone away.

—-

Kagami woke up while taking in a large gasp of air. As his eye adjusted to the surroundings, he saw a lot of debris and destroyed buildings. Using the wall for support, he steadily stood up and trying to find everyone in his group. He looked up towards the wall to his group ascending the wall and he could see others springing into action. He must have been knocked out and they sprung into action. As he stood ready to hop into action as well, the recoiling of metal coils made him stop. He looked to the side to see a group of Garrison soldiers drop next to him. In front of the group, likely the soldier in charge, was a woman.

"Cadet, are you alright?"

Kagami nodded groggily and placed a hand on his forehead.

"Take him back to headquarters to get him looked at," the woman said gesturing to someone.

"I'll do it," someone said, their voice defiantly male.

"I'm counting on you," the woman said.

Then cables were shot out towards the wall. Kagami turned to the person with him and his eyes widened in seeing who it was.

"You're in pretty bad shape, Taiga," they said.

"T-Tatsuya?"

"We can talk later. I need to get you back to headquarters."

The two hurried as quickly as they could back to headquarters. When they got there, they found everything was in disarray as everyone was shaken up from the wall being destroyed. Captain Woermann was barking order that made no sense, but the vanguard seemed to be getting ready to mobilize.

Tatsuya and Kagami found a relatively empty corner and Tatsuya carefully sat him down. Kagami placed a hand on his head, the throbbing had yet to cease.

"I need to debrief you on what happened. What's the last thing you remember before being knocked unconscious?" Tatsuya asked.

Kagami let out a groan and brought his hand away from his head. "We were walking towards the wall for our shift for cannon maintenance, I looked up at the sky for a moment and the clouds turned green. As a bolt of lightning fell from the sky, I felt a strange sense of familiarity with everything that was happening. Then, I saw the steam behind the wall and knew exactly what was going on. I yelled scatter to my comrades and from there everything's a blank."

"I see, you felt something off, because you remembered Shiganshina." Tatsuya said.

Kagami nodded.

Tatsuya let out a groan and ran a hand through his hair. "I was supposed to be at Shiganshina that day, but I was injured during one of our last training sessions so I was kept at Trost. I should've been there to help you."

Kagami waved his hand. "It doesn't matter. I got lucky that day. I was near the rear gate so I quickly escaped."

Tatsuya sighed in relief. "Thank, God."

"Tatsuya!" a voice called out.

The young man turned around to see an officer walking up to them. Tatsuya saluted while Kagami was a bit slower to respond.

"They need you as part of the vanguard force. You'll be leading a squad," the officer said.

"Yes, sir!" Tatsuya said. "This cadet needs medical attention. I don't believe it's too serious though."

The officer nodded. "I'll take a look."

"Thank you, sir." Tatsuya said. He then began to jog away, not looking back.

"Tatsuya!" Kagami called out.

Tatsuya stopped and held up a fist in the air, but did not face him. "We'll get through this and then, we'll go have a drink." Tatsuya continued his jog and disappeared in the crowd of soldiers. Unbeknownst to Kagami, the young man was smiling the whole time.

The officer, who turned out to be a medic, gave him a quick look and deduced that he had not major injuries that would prove detrimental for battle and cleared him for duty. The officer also disappeared into the crowd, this time comprising mostly of cadets. The cadets made up the middle guard, while the more elite were tasked with being part of the rear guard.

"Oh, thank God you're alive!" a voice said.

Kagami turned his head to see Josh walking towards him with a relieved look on his face.

"Yeah, thanks for leaving me behind," Kagami replied with a scowl forming.

"I swear we were going to check up on you, but everyone just rushed into battle. I think Alb was the one who propped you up against that house," Josh said.

"I guess I'll have to thank him," Kagami mumbled.

"Anyways, I gotta look for someone else. I hope we get put in the same squad," Josh said.

"I wouldn't mind that. Also, try to not get too into it before going off into battle," Kagami replied with a sly smile forming.

Josh's face turned bright red as her turned away from the red-head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

As the teen walked away, Kagami let out a laugh and slowly stood up. When the dizziness faded, he walked forwards trying to find someone to ask where he was assigned to.

"There you are!" a voice called out.

Kagami turned to see Connie walking towards him along with Jean and Sasha. He rose an eyebrow, wondering what they wanted with him. "What's up?"

"You'll part of our squad. That's where Captain Woermann assigned you," Connie said.

Kagami nodded in response. He was familiar with Connie and Sasha's abilities, but Jean was a bit of an unknown for him. Regardless, the three he was with placed in the top ten, he knew he could count on them.

—

Kise zipped through Trost keeping an eye out for Titans, civilians, and anything else that needed help or put down. He had been placed in the middle guard in order to strengthen it, as well as a Murasakibara. The two Orientals had separated and went to find the cadet squad that needed the most amount of support. He had been assigned to squad 34 which was comprised of six cadets and one of them was in the top ten.

When he spotted the cadets, he made a beeline for them. He noticed they had yet to mobilize, but seemed to be steeling their nerves. Kise could understand that, even he needed a moment to prepare himself before going out to fight. As he landed on the rooftop, tiles shifted and the cadet's attention was turned to him.

"Ryouta?" one cadet asked.

Kise gave each a cadet a quick look and summarized what he knew about them. Three of them were with him that morning on the cannons, two boys, Eren Yeager and Thomas Wagner, and the girl, Mina Carolina.

"You guys squad 34?" Kise asked.

"Yes, sir," a boy with blonde hair said.

"Okay then. I was assigned to join you guys in the fight. Don't slow me down, okay," Kise said.

"Yes, sir!" the cadets said in unison.

"By the way, what are your names. I know three of you, but the other three I don't know," Kise said before jumping into battle.

The two other boys introduced themselves and the blonde one introduced himself as Armin Arlert. Kise nodded and the group jumped into battle. The group looked ahead of them and to the sides to see that Titans had broken through the vanguard. The cadets were shocked at the sight, but for Kise, he had expected it. While the vanguard was made up go strong soldiers, including his captain, sometimes the lumbering giants proved to be too difficult to contain. He silently hoped that his captain and the rest of his squad were still alive.

"Crap, we got an abnormal! Everyone pull up!" Eren yelled out.

Kise looked forwards to see a titan jump from a roof and launch itself towards them. The squad pulled up and they all landed on an adjacent rooftop, while Eren clung to the edge. Kise landed and quickly surveyed the group. He noticed one was missing.

"We're missing one," Kise said aloud.

The group looked towards the titan, who had smashed its head into a clocktower. The titan moved its head and in its mouth was Thomas Wagner. The look of pure fear and confusion etched onto his face caused everyone to gasp in horror. The titan then brought its head back and swallowed Thomas whole. Eren let out a roar of anger and shot himself towards the titan.

"You're going to pay for killing my friend!"

"Yeager, wait!" Kise called out, but the boy was too far away.

The others then jumped into action following Eren. Kise cursed and prepared to jump in too. _Dammit, those idiots are going to get themselves killed._ However, the group was quickly surrounded by gathering titans. Eren's pursuit ended in failure as a titan had bitten his leg off causing him to lose balance and tumble along the rooftop. Kise tried to find the others, but Mina had been grabbed by her cable and collided with a wall. The other two were not faring any better and fear had overtaken everyone.

 _Dammit, I need to help them._ Kise turned to try to save the cadets, but was surrounded by titans. Kise clicked his tongue in frustration and engaged his enemies. He jetted under a titans legs and used the momentum to shoot upwards. At a high vantage point, Kise latched his cables on the back of titan and sped towards the nape. Kise slashed a clean cut and the titan collapsed onto the ground. However, he did not have time to relax as two more titans were lumbering towards him. Kise latched his cabled onto a high wall and jumped onto a roof. He could hear the screams of the cadets behind them, but there was nothing he could do until he killed the two in front of him.

After a series of maneuvers, Kise got the two titans to stand side to side. He used that opportunity to slash both their napes one after the other, speeding up in order to deal the killing blow on both. The two gargantuan creatures dropped dead and Kise landed on a rooftop. He panted and cleaned the blood off of his face before it evaporated. He turned back towards the cadets, the two other boys were no where to be seen and Mina was being shoved into a titans mouth. Then, the sound of a scream pierced the air. Kise turned his attention towards it and saw Armin with a hand out stretched towards a titan.

"Arlert!"

Kise jumped into action and got the cadet away from the titan as it lumbered away. Kise landed in an alleyway and dropped Armin. He wanted to scream at him for doing something so stupid, but he could see in the boys eyes that something had happened.

"Armin, where are the others?" Kise asked. He knew the answer, but wanted a confirmation from the boy.

"E-Eren, he saved me," Armin said, his words stuttered as he sobbed.

"Eren?"

"H-He pulled me out of the titans throat and then got…" Armin stopped talking and slapped a hand over his mouth. Tears continued to stream down his face. "I just stood there and watched my friends die."

"I need you to collect yourself, cadet!" Kise said in the best authoritative voice he could muster.

Armin looked up, tears still in his eyes.

"Make their deaths fuel for you to keep fighting. Now come on, we need to find another cadet squad so you can join them," Kise said.

Armin nodded and slowly go to his feet.

"We need to get back on the roof tops."

—-

Kagami stood in front of a corpse. The body was missing the entire right leg and hip. However, Kagami recognized the who the corpse belonged to. Their black hair that covered one eye and glossed over black eyes, this was Kagami's brother Tatsuya. Kagami tried to fight back tears, the brother who he had just reunited with was dead and there was nothing he could do about it. On his neck dangled the necklace that they shared as proof of their brotherhood. Kagami gripped his, he wanted to rip it off and throw it as far as he could, but he could not bring himself to do it. Kagami felt a tear roll down his cheek, then more fell until he was sobbing quietly. Death was all around him, and he was sobbing over one person.

"Taiga, come on! We got to move!" Connie called out.

Kagami wiped away his tears and turned away from the corpse of his friend. Before he launched himself towards the rooftops, he took another look at the body. He then yanked off the necklace and put it in his pocket.

"I'm sorry, Tatsuya. I promise I'll see you soon," Kagami said as he closed his dead friend's eyes.

Kagami then launched himself towards the building where he met up with Connie, Jean, and Sasha. The three nodded quietly and began to maneuver around the city. There were still titans lumbering around and off in the distance, they had made it further into the city. Some seemed to be gathered around the Garrison Headquarters.

The sky had darkened since the beginning of the battle, rain seemed not too far behind. Connie looked back towards Kagami who was going slower than the rest and had a sullen expression on his face. The teen had never seen him with that face and wondered if it had to do with the body he was looking at. Connie slowed down his pace in order to match Kagami's

"Hey, did you know that guy?"

Kagami nodded.

"Who was he?"

"My brother," Kagami mumbled.

Connie's eyes widened in surprise. Despite the mumble, he heard what Kagami had said.

"Seriously? Sorry that had to happen to you," Connie said, empathy in his voice.

"It doesn't matter, he's dead now. I got to worry about staying alive. Though I wouldn't mind dying either," Kagami said, his words ending in a mumble.

"Hey, we're coming up on the other cadets. Looks like everyone is gathered over there," Jean called out.

The four landed on a large rooftop where the other cadets were gathered. Many had depressed faces, while mumbling that things seemed hopeless. Kagami could overhear that they were given the order to evacuate, but wondered why everyone was still gathered here. He glanced over to a collection of people and saw Josh's group, along with Connie and Sasha, all standing over someone. Kagami got a good look and saw that they were all standing over Josh. Kagami walked over to see that Josh was unconscious and let out a sigh of relief.

"Is he alright?"

"He's fine, just unconscious," Christa replied.

"Did he do something stupid?" Kagami asked crossing his arms.

"You could say that," Aline answered.

"I'm not dead!" Josh screamed as his eyes shot open.

Everyone jumped back in surprise at him waking up. The group began to talk amongst themselves and Kagami decided to walk away. Kagami looked around the other cadets, Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt were talking amongst themselves and Marco was close to them as well seemingly talking to himself. He could hear him say that titans had overrun headquarters so there was no way they could replenish their gear. Kagami had not even thought about that, his mind was still to preoccupied with seeing Tatsuya dead. He looked to the side to see Armin sitting against a wall, his face plaster with shock. Clearly something had happened to the boy that was replaying in his mind over and over again. He looked around for Eren, as wherever Armin was, he probably was not too far behind. However, he could not see the boastful teen anywhere.

"Is that Mikasa?" a cadet called out.

All eyes turned to the black haired girl as she landed, worry was evident across her face. Her eyes darted around everyone until they fell onto Annie.

"Annie, I know this is selfish, putting personal matters ahead of duty right now, but have you seen Eren's squad?" she said as she walked up towards her.

"Some squads managed to make it here, but I haven't seen Eren's," Annie replied. A thought seemed to cross her mind, but she did not say anything.

"We found Armin though. Well, not really found a Garrison solider entrusted him to us before leaving. He's over there," Reiner said, pointing at the blonde.

Mikasa seemed to sprint towards him and the sound of her footsteps seemed to wake Armin up.

"Armin, are you okay, are you hurt? Where's Eren?" Mikasa asked, desperation was rising from her voice.

Armin looked up towards her, tears in his eyes. For Kagami it was clear what had happened, but his words would confirm it to everyone.

"They were the cadets of squad 34. Thomas Wagner, Mina Carolina, Nac Tius, Mylius Zeramuski, and… Eren Yeager. These five died bravely on the battlefield and upheld their duties," Armin said, each word seemed to be impossible for him to say.

There was an audible gasp from everyone. Every cadet knew of Eren's determination about killing titans and hearing that he had died seemed to crush whatever moral there was left. Kagami had never gotten along with Eren, but he knew how much he meant to people. Hearing that he had died hurt him too.

Among the murmurs, Mikasa's footsteps reverberated around everyone. Something had changed inside her and it was likely that rage had taken over her.

"Marco, if we kill or bypass the titans at HQ, we would be able to stock up on what we need; am I correct in that assumption?" Mikasa's voice was cold and analytical, something everyone was quick to notice.

"Well yeah, but we barely have enough gas or blades to be able to make it there," Marco argued.

"I can do it. I'm strong, probably the strongest here; none of you are my equal. Do you understand that? I am a warrior! I'll kill all the titans in my path, even if I have to do it alone. Everyone here is nothing but a coward, and you all disappoint me. I'll show you how things ought to be done." Mikasa finished talking and launched herself towards headquarters without looking back.

 _Some speech. And she wonders why some people don't like her,_ Kagami thought. He then positioned himself and followed her lead. Soon other cadets followed her example, with another insulting speech from Jean. As Kagami maneuvered away from the rooftop, he could hear Josh's group let out their battle cry. For the longest time he wanted to tell him that it sounded stupid, but just this once he found it uplifting.

—-

Kuroko cut down another titan right after Momoi and Conner had cut its achilles tendon, immobilizing it. Kuroko landed on the rooftop of an abandoned building and wiped the blood off of his face. Conner and Momoi landed at his side and surveyed the surrounding town. Levi had just taken down a series of titans, while Hange seemed to scream at the top of her lungs as they butchered another one.

Kuroko then felt the wind shift. There was something odd in the air and he could not really place it. What was odd, however, was the lack of titans they had to fight.

"Doesn't it feel odd that we haven't been swarmed by titans yet?" Kuroko asked aloud.

"Now that you mention it, yeah, it does," Conner said as looked towards the horizon.

"I need to report something to the Commander," Kuroko said shoot a cable onto a chimney.

The two nodded and followed their friends lead. They found Commander Erwin with Levi and Petra who had just finished comforting a dying solider. The three landed gaining the attention of the other three Scouts.

"Something to report, Tetsuya?" Erwin asked.

"It feels odd that there aren't as many titans as there usually is. Not taking away from the sacrifices form our fallen soldiers that is," Kuroko said looking towards Levi.

Levi simply stared at him with a blank expression. Levi was the one person Kuroko could never get a good read on. Even Erwin was easier to understand, and he was difficult to discern what he was thinking.

"Yes, I noticed that as well." Erwin said surveying the horizon.

"Some seemed to be heading towards Trost and in large numbers too," Hange said from an adjacent rooftop.

"Do you think something happened at Trost? Don't tell me the wall fell," Conner asked.

Erwin placed a hand on his chin in a pensive state. He then brought it back to his side. "Tell everyone we're returning home. Something is amiss and it has likely to do with Trost."

Everyone in the immediate vicinity nodded and rushed to prepare for a retreat. Kuroko looked towards the direction of Trost and frowned. _Kise-kun, please hold on until we get there._

 _—_

Akashi sat at his desk, looking over documents of his father's health and disease. From the last time he visited, his father seemed to be in better health as he now walked around the house and even attended a council meeting. However, according to his health records, he was slowly deteriorating. During one of the council meetings, Akashi had to go in his fathers stead and he hated every minute of sitting there and having to them listen at how they were going to maintain the populace in check.

Akashi crumpled up one of medical documents and tossed it aside. He rest his head on his closed fist as he skimmed another paper. As he prepared to look through another document, the door of his office swung open and an out of breath solider ran in. Akashi was about to reprimand him, but stopped as he noticed he was carrying a paper.

"If you're barging into my office without knocking, this better be important," Akashi said sternly.

The solider took a moment to collect his breath before speaking. "Captain, titans have broken through Wall Rose! They've begun invading Trost!"

Akashi shot form his chair and looked the soldier dead in the eyes. "Have they broken through the inner gate?"

"I don't know, sir. I was only informed to relay that the enemy broke through the outer wall," the soldier said, panicked.

"I want you to find me Shintaro Midorima and Daiki Aomine, and I want them here on the double," Akashi ordered.

The soldier saluted. "Yes, sir!" The soldier then sprinted out of the room and went to find who he was ordered to find.

Akashi let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead. He collected himself and went to find his squad, they were headed for Trost.

—

Under the grey sky, Kise stood on the other side of far gate. He tapped his foot rapidly, wondering where all the cadets were. They had been given the order to evacuate hours ago and not too many cadets had crossed over. After leaving Armin with a cadet called Reiner, Kise jumped back into the fight and not too long after was the order for a retreat given out. He wanted to go find the cadets, but the lack of gas and blades was telling him that his time was up. Kise cursed his uselessness and kicked the ground in frustration.

"Kicking the ground isn't going to help things," Murasakibara said lazily.

"Yeah, well excuse me for being worried about the cadets," Kise argued.

Muraskibara shrugged. "If they haven't gone over the wall yet, then they're probably dead."

"Can you not be so nonchalant about this?! Those kids are fighting for their lives for the first time in battle. We were the same not too long ago," Kise yelled.

"All I'm saying is to expect the worst, it'll be easier to deal with loss that way," Muraskibara replied.

Kise clenched his fist. He wanted to punch Murasakibara for the comments he was making, but knew that would not solve anything. He took in a breath and released it, calming his nerves.

"Did you loose the cadets you were assigned to?" Kise asked.

Murasakibara nodded. "Yep. One minute we were maneuvering around the city, the next ten titans were on top of us. One by one the cadets fell. Some fought, others were so overcome by fear that they were basically sitting ducks. All the while I tried to kill as many as I could to keep them alive."

"Damn, sorry that happened," Kise replied.

"Nothing I can do about it now."

Kise did not respond, he simply turned his attention back towards the wall, hoping for any sign that the cadets would start to jump over. All the while, wondering where his Garrison squad was. The only person he had seen since the retreat was ordered was Seig.

 **AN: With that, the Trost arc begins. For this chapter, I wanted to focus on varying perspectives and different events around the battle. I know it's not as action packed as some might expect, but that stems from my inability to properly write ODM gear fights. I hope to work on that as this story progresses. Despite that, I did write about half of the battle in this chapter, but I think it'll probably take another two before I wrap up that whole battle, including the aftermath. I want to reiterate that certain characters in this story don't belong to me (Josh, Jansen, Albretch, and Aline), they belond to Legion117 and his story The Winds Of Promise. His story and events (some of them) are part of my story's cannon as well. So if you want to learn more about them, then go check his out. It's, honestly, a really well written story.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. If you're enjoying this story, feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already. Also, follow me on Twitter. I post story updates and a bunch of other stuff there that will let you more about me.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The Start of Unanswered Questions

As headquarter came closer into view, Kagami could see the titans there were surrounding it _;_ all trying to break through to grab their next meal. In front of him sped ahead, Mikasa. Despite running low on gas she was speeding ahead at full power. He knew she would lose all her gas if she kept up with that pace, but if he tried to catch up to her then he would run out too. _What's her deal? Eren's dead and I get that, but she cut herself off from feeling anything. I know that look all too well._ In his mind flashed the look she had when Armin told her the news.

Kagami turned his gaze back and he could see cadets falling left and right to straggling titans. Kagami clicked his tongue in frustration. People were dying in this mad dash and more people were soon to follow. He turned his gaze forwards and saw a giant hand stretching towards him. Kagami's eyes widened in surprise and came to the a hard stop. However, he did not break quick enough and he slammed into the hand.

He silently thanked gravity as he narrowly managed to avoid being trapped in the titan's grip. Kagami managed to remain his balance as he fell and shot a cable towards a rooftop. The titan swung its arm around trying to slam Kagami to the ground, but Kagami managed to avoid it. He then attached his cables to a chimney and used the momentum to swing around it and minimize the use of his gas. He then shot his cables towards the titan's neck and shot himself towards it and slashed its nape.

As the titan collapsed, he landed on a rooftop. He surveyed his surroundings and saw Connie, Armin, and Mikasa conversing. He turned to see two 15 meter titans facing each other with the three watching them. He narrowed his gaze and saw Josh's group ready to take them on Kagami was ready to get them to stop, but stopped when he saw both titans growl at each other. _What the hell is going on?_ Then the long haired then got into a fighting stance, which only increased the confusion. The other titan lunged forwards, but the long haired titan swung its arm with so much force, the titans head came clean off and flew into a tower. As the headless titan began to stand, the long haired titan raised its foot and slammed it down, killing the other titan.

Kagami's eyes widened in surprise. Never had seen or heard of something like this happening. _Was that even real?_ Kagami rubbed his eyes, but surely enough the long haired titan was still standing.

"Hey, what the hell are you standing around for, Taiga!?" a voice called out.

Kagami looked up to Josh and his squad moving towards him.

The five landed in front of him, each with their own worried expression.

"Please tell me you guys saw that?" Kagami asked. "Please tell me I'm not dead. Not yet at least."

"Hey, man, you're still here," Jansen said with a humorless chuckle.

"Anyway, yeah, we saw that," Albrecht added.

"We can focus on that later we have to keep going. That abnormal is heading towards HQ, so now's our chance at getting there," Aline urged.

Kagami nodded. He shook his head trying to regain his focus. He would worry about what he just saw later.

As the group neared headquarters, they noticed how most of the windows were broken and several cadets were gathered in the room. Off to the side, the long haired titan continued to swing away at other titans, not paying attention to any of the humans that remained huddled in the room. Kagami let out a sigh of relief as he used the last bit of gas he had to launch himself into the building, causing him to crash into the wall. Those that remained in the room let out gasp and cringed at Kagami's pain. Kagami, meanwhile, simply rubbed his arm, seemingly unaware of it.

"Is it just me or do his eyes seem deader than usual?" Jean asked.

Kagami and ignored the comment and turned to the huge hole in the wall. He walked towards it and looked out to see the long haired titan still slugging at other titans. Luckily, the other titans seemed more focused on it rather than them.

He turned back towards the other and saw Josh's group heading into another room, while Mikasa, Armin, Connie, and Jean talked about the long haired titan.

"I'm assuming this was your plan, Arlert?" Kagami said as his gaze fell on the blonde.

Armin nodded sheepishly.

"That makes sense. Only you could come up with a plan like that. Not even Second Place could come up with that one. He doesn't have the guts for it," Kagami said as he placed a hand on Armin's shoulder. "Not bad."

The five were left surprised at Kagami's words. He had never said anything to any of them and if he did it would never be more than a sentence.

"That has to be the most I've ever heard him speak," Connie said.

"And who are you calling 'Second Place'?" Albrecht added, annoyed with what Kagami had said.

As the five walked into the next room, everyone fell and silent and Armin seemed to have fainted. Kagami let out a chuckle at the sight and leaned against the wall.

"What the hell did I just walk in on?" Jean asked in surprise.

In front of everyone, Josh was kissing Annie. To everyone it was a complete shock, but to a select few it was no surprise. People began to comment about the exchange with Ymir seemingly congratulating Josh for what he managed to do. When Jean asked who knew seven hands went up. Everyone's eyes widened when they saw Kagami raised his hand.

"You knew too?" Christa asked with a surprised expression.

Kagami nodded. "It was pretty easy to figure out. Plus, it helps when you see the moron fall head over heels for her at first sight." Kagami ended his sentence with a sly smile, with everyone else's jaws falling to the floor.

"I think we have bigger concerns and Armin even fainted. Oh, wait, he's waking up," Marco said.

The conversation then shifted back to the long haired titan and how everyone was thankful for it arriving. However, many voiced how it would have been better if it had arrived earlier. As Albrecht mumbled to himself, Armin began to lay out the plan. With the guns that they had found stored away, which Jean was quick to comment on their usefulness, a large group of cadets would go down in the elevator and draw the titans that lumber below towards them. Then, when they were close enough, they would unload on them in order to disorient the creatures. From above would descend their most skilled and cut the nape of the titans.

"Well that's what I came up with," Armin said, uncertainty in his voice.

Reiner nodded approvingly. "Sounds good to me."

Others approved as well, but Armin remained unconvinced of his plan.

"It'll work. You're just not giving yourself enough credit. No one else could come up with something better," Albrecht added.

More people followed suit and encouraged the plan. With everyone on board, the cadets with rifles loaded onto the elevator. Kagami followed the group with rifles onto the elevator, but kept and blade with him just in case. He knew he could count on those who were on the roof to hit their mark, but with all the pressure on them, he wanted to be sure he could just in for a distraction.

"Why are you carrying a blade?" Josh asked.

"Just in case," Kagami said.

The group of cadets lowered into the darkened depot and could see the silhouettes of the titans stop dead in their tracks and turned directly towards them. The cadets cocked their weapons and prepared to fire. The tension among everyone was palpable and Kagami could feel as the sweat drip from his forehead. He let out a shaky breath as he wait for the signal to fire. As the titans got closer and closer in front, Kagami could feel everyone's trigger finger was getting itchy.

"Fire!" Marco yelled out.

Then the firing of rifles shot out. The the unleashing of ammo did its job in disorienting the creatures and the cadets from above dropped down to finish the job. Five of the titans fell to the cadets blades, but two remained alive; Sasha and Connie had missed.

"Sasha and Connie missed!" Reiner yelled out.

As on titan turned towards the disoriented Connie, Kagami threw his rifle aside and grabbed the blade he taken with him and jumped from elevator. He could hear the people telling to stop, but he pushed their voices aside and focused on delivering the killing blow. Kagami swung his blade and clean through the nape. The titan crumpled to the ground and Kagami landed on top of it. The other titan, meanwhile, was taken down by Annie. The two acknowledged each other with a nod. Kagami then held out his hand and helped Connie stand.

"Dude, that was insane and awesome!"

"Sure," Kagami said with a shrug.

"Are you insane?" Josh said as he ran up to him. "You could've died!"

"I was prepared to if it didn't work out," Kagami said.

He then walked away from the two and began to restock and refuel his equipment.

Connie crossed his arms and huffed in frustration. "What's up with him? He's always acting like he wants to die."

Josh faced the floor. What Connie had said was pretty much true. He could see it in Kagami's eyes, just how much he wanted to die. Since the day the two met and became friends, well, Josh considered the two of them friends, but Kagami kept it at comrades, he knew. His expression had worsened since the fight in Trost began.

"Hey, Connie. Did something happen out there today? You were on the same squad as Taiga, right?"

Connie nodded. "Yeah, when the evacuation order was called and we were about to go and find all of you guys, he seemed to be staring at a corpse. I asked him if he knew who the dead person was and he said his brother. That must've shaken him up. Pretty sure he was crying. Never seen him show so much emotion before."

Connie's final sentences became a distant echo for Josh. What stuck in his head was that Kagami's brother, the person he was searching for, was dead. He looked towards Kagami with a sorrowful expression. He wanted to comfort him or at least talk to him, but he knew now was not the best time.

"Hey, Josh! You gonna stand around all day?" Jansen called out.

"Coming!"

Josh gave one last look towards Kagami, his eyes seeming were withdrawn than usual, and jogged towards his friends.

—-

With everyone stocked up and ready to go, the cadets began to make their way over the wall. One by one each of them escaped from the nightmare that had befallen onto them and back to the safety of being behind the wall. However, as Kagami was about to head out as well, he saw a small group of cadets watching the long haired titan as it was about to fall. He could see Josh join them. Kagami rose an eyebrow and joined them.

"We don't have a choice. That titan is of much better use to us if it isn't shred to pieces," Reiner reasoned.

"Are you even listening to yourselves? We can get out of this nightmare, but you guys want to jump back in?!" Jean argued.

"I wouldn't mind," Kagami mumbled.

"Just think for a second. Having a titan like it on our side would be a huge advantage," Annie said.

Jean let out an annoyed groan as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are you guys even hearing yourselves? What is he, your new pal?"

"Is there any other choice? Unless you can come up with a weapon with the same power as a titan, then I'm all for it," Josh said as he narrowed his gaze.

"Crap, we got another titan coming in from the west!" Armin said as he pointed towards the titan. Then his eyes widened as he recognized the titan. "It's the one that ate Thomas."

"If we're going to do something, now is the time," Bertolt said as he put his hand on the hilt of his blade.

Before anyone jumped into battle, the long haired titan let out a loud roar and stomped the ground. Even with the titans that were latched onto it and gnawing away at it, it lumbered towards the other titan. It let out a roar of rage as it bit down on the titans neck due to its incapacitated arms. Using the titan as a club, the long haired titan began to swing it around smacking anything it could hit. When all of its adversaries were defeated, it arched back and let out a somewhat victorious roar. Then it buckled under the weight of itself and fell to the ground dead.

"Well that just happened," Kagami said with astonishment in his tone.

"Whatever you were guys were saying, well it doesn't matter anymore. Some weapon it turned out to be. We should leave now before anything else happens. After all, a titan is a titan," Jean said, turning away.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Josh said placing a hand on Jean's shoulder. However, he was still looking towards the steaming corpse of the abnormal.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jean asked.

He was responded by Josh forcefully turning Jean's gaze towards the abnormal. The area around the nape began to steam and open up. It fully opened and a large amount of steam shooting out and the silhouette of a body could be seen. The group narrowed their gaze and the steam began to clear, they saw the body of Eren Jaeger attached to the muscle of the the corpse. As if ejecting something, Eren's arms loosened from the muscles.

Mikasa, overcome with emotion, jumped down first at a quick pace. It was obvious that she wanted to make sure she was not seeing things. Everyone else followed her, also wanting to confirm the sight. When they landed, they saw Mikasa cradling Eren and sobbing, it was undoubtedly him.

After cutting Eren out of the corpse, the group brought Eren's unconscious body to the rooftop they had been standing on. Armin had to pry Mikasa off Eren's body, but the blonde was also on the verge of tears.

"This guy is alive?" Kagami mumbled. In his mind, Tatsuya's corpse flashed. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and he brows came together in frustration. _Why? Why does he get to live and my brother has to die? Tatsuya and I survived for so long and this guy gets superpowers._ Kagami wanted to run his sword through the unconscious teen, but he managed to keep the urge under control; however, his rage remained.

"Hey, aren't those Garrison soldiers?" Josh said looking up.

Kagami, taken away from his thoughts looked to see a group of Garrison soldiers land in front of them. They surveyed the group and their gazes fell onto Eren. Mikasa moved in front of him, ready to defend him if necessary. However, that never had to happen as an audible gasp escaped from one of the soldiers.

"Jaeger? Arlert?"

The group turned towards the voice and saw a blonde walk towards them.

"Ryouta?" Armin asked.

Kise moved in front of the soldiers and kneeled down in front of Eren's body. He narrowed his gaze and looked up towards the group.

"I want you to explain everything to me. It'll be better if I try to appeal on your behalf."

"Thank you, Captain," Armin said, bowing his head.

Kise smiled kindly. "Not a captain yet. Now come on, all of you."

He stood up and turned to the soldiers. "I'll handle this and report to Captain Woermann."

"Sorry, Ryouta, but that won't be happening," the commanding officer said. The soldiers around him drew their weapons.

Kise stepped back, but kept his hand on his own weapon.

"Do anything else and I'll consider you an accomplice in this matter. Step away from them," the officer ordered.

Kise turned to the group and tried to force a smile. He mouthed 'I'm sorry' and walked back towards the soldiers. He drew his own weapons to keep his act up. _I won't let them do anything stupid. I promise._ Kise locked eyes with Armin who nodded in response, seeming to understand.

"Now, come on. The higher-ups want an immediate debrief."

—-

After being dismissed by Captain Woermann, the cadets, minus Armin, Mikasa, and Eren, convened with the other cadets and soldiers that had made it over the wall. Before the group separated, they discussed what Eren being a titan meant for the future and no one could give a definitive answer. Josh brought up how to break it to the others, but Jean quickly shot it down, reenforcing Woermann's gag order.

"Hey, you all right?" Josh asked Kagami.

Kagami nodded in response.

"Then what was that look you were giving Eren? We all saw it," Josh said.

Kagami looked up to see the groups eyes were on him. He tightened the grip of his fist.

"Did you want to kill him?" Annie asked with a serious tone.

Kagami turned towards her. Josh took a step forward, but did not make a move.

"Yes. I did want to kill him," Kagami said. "I wanted to because my brother died fighting those things and now Eren pops out from one of their necks. What am I supposed to do?! Accept this as normal!"

The way Kagami yelled caused the others to reel back in surprise. Everyone knew Kagami as someone who spoke little, but enough to get his point across. However, now Kagami was speaking through pure emotion.

"All I wanted was to see my brother again. I did, but as a corpse. I barely held a conversation with him at HQ. Now you understand why I want to die?" Kagami said as his voice was starting to crack. His final sentence was punctuated with look towards Josh, who turned away.

"If you want to talk," Reiner began to say.

"I don't. I just want to be alone. It's how I should've been from the start," Kagami said, cutting off the blonde.

"Taiga, wait!" Josh called out.

"Go away, Kassmeyer," Kagami said coldly.

Josh tried to run after him, but he stumbled, the pain from battle was getting to him.

The group watched as Kagami walked away, unsure of what to make of his words. They were silent, but Josh's wounds began to become a more pressing concern.

"Do you know what he was talking about?" Annie asked.

Josh nodded. "A bit, but I promised him not to say anything. I intend to keep the promise. Though, after hearing that, I think I understand what he was trying to say to me the first time we met."

—-

Kagami found an abandoned building far away from the crowd, then he let out a scream. It was not a scream of anguish or rage, he just needed to scream. However, his emotions overtook him. He picked up a chair and tossed it against the wall with all his strength. The chair broke into pieces as it collided with the wall. He let out another scream and punched the wall closest to him, then again, and again, and again. He did not stop punching. He could feel his knuckles begin to bleed, but he was far too angry to let it concern him. The more he punched, the more he screamed and the more blood splattered on the wall.

"Why?!"

"Why?!"

"Whyyyyyy?!"

He punched the wall one more time and then he stopped, his fist on the wall and blood falling from it. His other hand bled too, he was sure that he could see his bones. He opened his hand and slowly stepped towards the wall. He pressed his forehead on the bloodied wall and he began to sob. For the first time, Kagami sobbed in sadness and held nothing back.

"Why did you have to leave? We could've stayed together," Kagami said to himself, his voice breaking. "Dammit."

"Are you all right?" a feminine voice asked.

"I said to leave me alone!" Kagami yelled.

He did not turn to face the person. He did not care to see who it was. He just wanted to be alone.

"I can see you're hurting, both physically and emotionally. I'm just here to talk. Josh was worried about you," the voice said.

By saying Josh, Kagami knew exactly who he was talking to. He could hear her get closer with every step, being cautious to not overstep. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Christa walking closer.

"What part of leaving me alone didn't you understand?" Kagami said.

"I can't do that knowing I can do something to help. Plus, if you're Josh's friend, then you're mine as well," Christ said kindly.

"Friendship is the reason I'm like this," Kagami replied.

"You lost someone today." It was not a question. "Someone important. I can only imagine what you're going through and I just want to help you get through it."

Kagami scoffed. "You can help by leaving."

"Then, let me at least bandage your hands. Something worse might happen to them if we don't," Christa offered.

Kagami stretched out his hand. "Make it quick. I have to keep punching this wall."

"Please don't," Christa said as he began to wrap cloth around his hand.

The blonde bandaged both his hands in silence. Neither of them uttered a word to each other. When Christa tightened the bandage on his left hand she let out a satisfied sigh.

"Please, don't continue to punch the wall. These bandages already need to be replaced soon," Christa said.

Kagami held up his hands so he could see his knuckles. The once white cloth was already beginning to be stained red. He knew it would take time for his knuckles to heal.

The the sound of the ground shifting caused Kagami to look up. He saw Christ making her way to towards the open door.

"Thank you," Kagami said.

Christa smiled. "Don't mention it."

Before Kagami could say anything, the sound of a cannon firing rang out. Both cadets turned to where the sound of coming from and deduced it had come from the wall.

"What the hell is going on?" Kagami asked.

"I'm going to make sure Kassy is okay," Christ said as he broke out into a jog.

Kagami was about to follow her, but as he tried to close his fist he winced in pain.

"You go on ahead," Kagami called out.

Christ looked back and have him a nod.

 _Dammit. Now the pain is really kicking in,_ Kagami thought.

—

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Kise yelled.

Captain Woermann turned towards the blonde with both fury and fear. Kise took a step back, afraid of what he might do to him.

"You speak again and I'll consider you an enemy too!"

Kise tightened the grip of his fist and his eyebrows came together in frustration. He knew of Woermann's weak willpower, but right now it was a lot worse than it usually was.

"Can't you see they're just kids! If Captain Kaplan was here he would try to talk to them and figure things out diplomatically," Kise argued.

"Well, he isn't here right now and I'm in charge!" Woermann spat.

 _Dammit, Yuri, where the hell are you?_

"Prepare to fire another round!" Woearmann yelled towards the cannon crew.

"Look there!" one soldier cried out.

From the dirt and smoke emerged the face of Eren's titan, however it was not fully formed. In fact the titan itself did not appear, only its skeletal structure and some muscle.

"Keep your weapons trained on it!" Woermann ordered.

Everyone stared at the titan shell and the steam and smoke slowly began to die down. Then the smoke began to ebb and flow differently. From the smoke Armin ran with his arms covering his face.

"Wait don't shoot!" Kise called out.

"You say one more thing and it'll be insubordination!"

Armin halted his run and held his arms up in the air in surrender.

"Is this supposed to be your true form? I won't fall for it and I will fire again!"

"Eren is not a foe of humanity! I willing to believe he could cooperate with the military command and share everything we know about his powers!" Armin said with his voice shaking.

 _Forget this,_ Kise thought.

Kise broke into a run and pushed aside everyone who was in his way. He could hear his fellow soldiers clamoring him to stop, but he ignored them. He jumped and landed in front of Armin and turned towards all the guns and swords.

"I will as well! I served alongside Cadet Jaeger and he was completely devoted to humanity and eliminating the titans!"

"Thank you, Ryouta," Armin muttered.

"Your pleas fall on deaf ears! Not even the words of a fellow soldier can sway me. Eren Jaeger has revealed himself as a titan and is therefore and enemy! If you insist that Yeager isn't a threat, where is your proof?!" Woermann bellowed.

"What proof do you need, but the words of hundreds of soldiers. Hundreds of soldiers reported Eren's titan form fighting other titans. Those same titans that eat us cannibalized him. That means he is also prey to them. Anyway you look at it, he is on our side."

There was a momentary silence between all the soldiers present, all of them seemed to be mulling over Armin's words. Kise silently prayed that everyone would see that what Woermann was saying was based only on fear. As soldiers began to lower their weapons, Kise felt that his prayers were answered.

"Prepare to attack!" Woermann yelled. His fear had overtaken him and that fear easily made its way into the soldiers that were doubting.

"The behavior of the titans have always been a mystery to us! How do we know this isn't a trick in that they assumed human form and speak our language! I refuse to let that happen!"

"You're grasping at straws Woermann! Can't you guys see he's spouting nonsense?!" Kise said to all the soldiers.

"I am a soldier! I have dedicated my life to preserving the human race! I would proudly give my life to such a noble cause! If we combine Eren's abilities with all the soldier we have remaining we can surely retake this city! For everything I am worth, for the glory of humanities survival, I will advocate for his strategic value!"

As Armin spoke, he put his fist over his heart to show how devoted he was. Kise smiled at the boys determination and followed his lead.

Kise placed his fist over his heart and took in a breath. "I agree with Cadet Armin Arlert! This is a winnable battle!"

The soldiers around them looked towards their captain, who was completely over taken by fear.

"Maybe we should consider," a solider began to say.

"Silence!" Woermann cut them off. He then raised his hand in the air; the firing signal.

Now Kise's mind was firing at all cylinders. He looked towards Armin who had a fearful expression on his face. The towards the other two. Eren clung to Mikasa as he brought his hand to his mouth. Kise then grabbed a blade ready to stop Woermann from giving the signal. However, he did not have to as a hand stopped Woermann from letting his arm fall to his side. Kise looked behind Woermann to see a bald man with a grey, bushy mustache.

"Is this really necessary, Captain? Can't you see how perfect that boy's salute it? Then there's one of your own men willing to lay down his life to support the young cadet," the man said in a low tone, but it was obvious that it carried great authority.

"Commander Pyxis," Woermann mumbled.

"You need to get yourself under control. Now then, young man, explain to me your plan and whatever it is I'm looking at," Pyxis said.

He then turned to Kise, who straightened himself.

"Quiet the brave act you did. It's nice to know Yuri was in charge of you," Pyxis said before turning back to Armin.

Kise turned back to Woermann and glared at him, which only infuriated the captain even more. Kise then turned around and jogged to the Commander's side as he spoke with the three cadets. Kise knew what he had to do next, it was only of matter when the time would come for it to happen.

—-

When Kagami returned to where everyone in the 104th was gathered, there seemed to be a lot of commotion going on. The first to catch sight of him was Connie who waved for him to join him and others. Everyone was quick to notice Kagami's bloodied bandages, but made no comment on it.

"What's going on?" Kagami asked.

"The officers have everyone gathered here. Apparently there's some sort of plan to retake the city," Connie explained.

"Which is stupid. We should just leave it for the titans," Ymir said coldly.

Kagami rose an eyebrow at the comment, but did not respond.

In front of them walked Annie, Jean, Bertolt, and Reiner, all with different expressions on their faces.

"Hey, you guys know what's going on?" Jansen asked.

"You're about to find out," Jean said.

Then, around them, people began to murmur and it was obvious about what. Everyone was saying that same thing that going back into Trost to plug up the hole meant death for many. Even for the cadets, the plan was ridiculous as it sounded. Kagami processed the plan in his own way. He glanced down at his bandaged and bloodied hands and gritted his teeth in frustration. With his hands the way they were now, there was no way he could fight.

In between all the murmurs and people being threatened to stay and fight, Dazz began to wail at how the higher ups were insane. Kagami tried to block out his cries, but it something that was hard to do. _Why become a soldier if all you're gonna do it cry._ Kagami looked around his fellow cadets and saw some of them were of similar minds about Dazz, but some were still unconvinced about the plan; some were vocal about their dismay.

It was obvious that Dazz's fearful wailing was affecting the minds of others and it would be a matter of time before everyone was of a similar mindset.

The clamoring of voices continued to rise. Kagami tried to block them out so he could form his own opinions on the matter.

"Attention!" a loud, authoritative voice rang out from high up.

The voice caused all the soldiers to stop talking and stay frozen in place. From the top of the wall Commander Pyxis stood with the early sunset light shadowing the front of his body. Everyone knew he had full control of everyone just with his mere presence. Kagami turned his attention towards the older man, as did everyone else.

"Soldiers, this will be the battle plan to retake Trost; so take note. Our main objective is to seal the hole at the gate and this will be done manually," Pyxis explained.

His words were followed by a slew of comments about how unfeasible that plan was. Everyone thought the commander had lost his mind.

"In order to do this, that is where this man comes in," Pyxis said gesturing behind him.

Into the light stepped the now alive Eren Jaeger. To most of the cadets of the 104th their jaws dropped to the floor in disbelief that their comrade was still alive.

"Allow me to present to you, Cadet Eren Jaeger."

The cadets of the 104th all gawked at the sight. Many stating that somehow Eren had lived. They all turned to those who had been given gag orders, but all they got was to keep listening.

"Don't let his appearance fool you, this boy is the successful product of cutting edge science. Fantastical as that may sound, Cadet Jaeger has the ability to manifest and control a titan body at will."

The 104th still awaited answers, but still got none. Even those who had seen it did not really know how he did it or even got the abilities. Kagami, meanwhile, remained silent and continued to listen to the Commander's words.

"Recall the massive boulder that lies about a thousand meters away from the gate; when Cadet Jaeger transforms, he will heft the boulder over his shoulders and and plug the hole. His defense will come from all of you. Yes, you must defend a titan from their own kind."

Pyxis paused to let his words settle among the soldiers. There was a period of silence that felt like it was an eternity. It was almost as if they were starting to believe it was actually possible. However, those ideas were quickly squashed as soon as Dazz opened his mouth. His fearful words caused a stir within everyone and just when the idea of retaking the city was settling. Soon soldiers began to turn away, Dazz's words and fear had gotten to them. Woermann tried to get them to return by threatening death, but even that was not enough.

"Anyone who wishes to leave and not relive the horrors of the ordeal are welcome to do so, and, by my order, will not be charged with treason. Additionally, those who wish to spare their families of a similar ordeal are welcome to leave. The crown will continue to recognize your service; thank you and good luck!"

The words echoed in everyone that was leaving, causing them to halt. Then the massive amount of soldiers who had no determination to continue the fight returned with renewed vigor. Pyxis's words had a double meaning to them, one that they all felt.

"That was a very moving speech, Commander Pyxis," a male voice said.

Everyone looked back to see a group of soldiers. However, they were not wearing Garrison uniform, but Military Police uniform. Murmurs began to spread at the sight of members of the military police had come to Trost, however, they were more surprised at who it was.

Leading the group of MP's was a young man with light red hair and heterochromatic eyes. Despite his short stature he radiated authority.

"Glad you could join us, Captain Akashi," Pyxis said, "I see you brought friends."

Akashi crossed his arm, his MP cloak moving with the wind like a cape.

"Would you mind if I added something to your speech?" Akashi asked.

Pyxis nodded. "By all means."

"Thank you. Those of you who are continuing the fight, those who will survive will gain a special privilege. You will be granted access to join the Military Police that is under my command. I will accept anyone no matter your level of skill."

Akashi's words spread through everyone. The opportunity to join the Military Police sounded to good to be true, but the look in the captain's eyes said it was.

One of the people standing next to Akashi, a young man with a streak of green hair and glasses, leaned towards him.

"Akashi, are you insane? The monarchy will never allow this."

"They will answer to me, Shintaro. Plus, for my plan to succeed I need all the soldiers I can get," Akashi responded.

Among the 104th there was murmurs about being able to join the MP's despite not reaching the top ten. Some were ready to jump at the opportunity, but others were hesitant. Jean took it as a sure fire way to join the MP's, while others who were aiming for the MP's felt the same as him. Even those who were settled on joining other regiments were having second thoughts.

"A straight shot to the interior and with one of the best soldiers humanity has been able to produce. It sounds almost like a dream," Connie said.

"I was pretty dead set on joining the Garrison, but this is too hard to pass up," Aline added.

Other comments were similar to theirs, with only Jansen saying he was still dead set on join the Scouts.

Elsewhere in the crowd, Kise and Murasakibara looked towards their former comrade with a surprised expression. They looked towards each other and nodded. They made their way towards him and as soon as they had met, there was an audible gasp from the crowd.

"Now way, those were the top five from the previous cadet core!" one soldier cried out.

"Holy, crap! If they're all here then there's definitely a chance we can take back Trost," another solider said.

People began to cheer at the sight, while the five tried to ignore being the center of attention.

Meanwhile, at the top of the wall, Pyxis smiled at the sight. "With them here, this will work out just fine."

 **AN: With that, this chapter comes to an end. I hope you liked the ending, the Generation of Miracles have all gathered at Trost. Next chapter will likely be the conclusion of this battle. I got some cool plans in store for the future of this story, so I hope you look forward to it. If you're enjoying, feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Stay tuned for the next part!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The First Victory

After managing to no longer be the center of attention, Akashi turned towards the four soldiers that were behind him and ordered to remain among the other soldiers. He turned towards Aomine, Kise, Murasakibara, and Midorima and told them to follow him. The five walked towards the wall and as they did, the soldiers gathered there opened a path for them to walk. Aomine groaned at the sight.

"Why are they acting as if we're some type of saviors?"

"Probably because everyone knows of our cadet rankings and how our scores were the highest ever recorded," Midorima said pushing up his glasses.

"You're saying that as if you got the highest scores, Midorimacchi," Kise said with a laugh.

"Well, Mine-chin did get the highest score ever in combat training. The only reason he placed second was because he's stupid," Murasakibara added.

"Cut the chatter. Let's scale this wall," Akashi said as he shot a cable up the wall.

The other four followed him and did the same.

When they reached the top of the wall, they found Commander Pyxis along with a handful of Garrison soldiers. To the side stood the cadet identified as Eren Jaeger and two others. Akashi assumed they were associated with Eren. His gaze fell on the girl, who shared a similar appearance to him and the four behind him, however, he pushed those thoughts aside and walked up to the Garrison commander.

The five saluted their superior, who returned it. Akashi sized the commander up with a quick look and could tell there was likely more to him than he let on.

"This is the first time we meet, Commander. However, I'm sure you know two of my associates," Akashi said.

Pyxis nodded. "Indeed. Fine soldiers those two are. However, I must know, why is someone of the Military Police here? Not to insult you, but I'd expect the MP's to not bother with the situation."

"I take no offense to the truth. The reason I got here so late was because the higher ups didn't want us going. I had to pull a few strings just to get my most trusted here," Akashi answered.

Pyxis placed a hand on his chin. "I see. Regardless, your group's presence brings up moral among the men, so I'm glad you arrived."

Akashi nodded. "Of course, we will assist in the retaking of Trost in any way we can. You do have a plan right? I'm assuming it has to do with that boy." Akashi's eyes landed on Eren.

Akashi could see the boy's nervousness. Obviously, he had not fully convinced himself that he could turn the tide.

"We do. The plan was conceived by Cadet Armin Arlert," Pyxis said. "Cadet, please present your plan to all of us present."

"Y-Y-Yes, sir," the blonde said.

Armin walked up to group, fear etched onto his face. He knew of this group and their strength. Not even Mikasa could compare to them. He gaze fell onto Kise, who smiled warmly at him. Seeing him made feel a bit more at ease. Kise walked forwards and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"I know this kid. Whatever he comes up with, I know it will work," Kise said, turning towards the other four.

"Well, he looks like runt who barely made it through training," Aomine said.

Kise laughed nervously and turned back to Armin. "Don't worry. I'll be right there with you when you explain everything."

Armin nodded. "Thanks, Ryota."

Armin walked up to the other four and took in a breathe and released it to calm down his nerves.

"I'm sure you heard the basics of the plan from Commander Pyxis, but here's how it will be executed. We'll have most of the soldiers gather in the corner of the city away from the boulder and lure the titans there. Then a small, elite group will escort Eren to where the boulder is and that elite group will have to keep titans off of him."

The five took in the plan and processed it in their own minds. Aomine was quick to say how simple it was, but that simple did not mean easy. Kise and Murasakibara remained quiet. While Akashi and Midorima were more pensive on the matter.

"I'm willing to hear out another plan. I know you two had the highest scores in the classroom during your cadet years, so I'm sure you two could come up with something better," Armin said turning to Akashi and Midorima.

Akashi sighed and looked Armin in the eyes, causing the teen to flinch. "You need to have more faith in yourself and your plans. Honestly, this is the best plan anyone can come up with. There's no other way to move that boulder."

"He's right," Midorima added.

"I already have the elite squad assembled. What will you five do?" Pyxis said.

"We will be protecting Cadet Jaeger," Akashi said.

"Huh?" everyone said in unison.

"We stand the best chance of defeating every titan that'll stand in his way," Akashi explained.

"Oi, Akashi, you can't just make that call," Aomine complained.

"You will follow my orders Daiki and these are my orders," Akashi said in a cold tone.

Pyxis coughed into his fist in order to diffuse the tension. "Well then, I'll have them on stand by. Just in case."

Akashi nodded in response. "Thank you, Commander."

The commander returned the nod and walked away from the group, allowing them to finalize the plan to escort Eren.

Akashi turned back to Armin and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"You know, my squad could use a mind like yours. I'm admitting anyone who survives this battle today to join my MP squad, will you join me?" Akashi asked, sincerity in his voice.

"Thank you for the offer, but I must respectfully decline. I've already decided to join the Scouts," Armin replied.

Akashi sighed. "I see. I'm sure they could use that mind of yours. The offer also extends to to you two as well."

"Hey, recruiting already? I think we better let them get through this hell first," Aomine said.

"Plus, once word gets out about Cadet Jaeger, the higher ups won't let you have him," Midorima added in a hushed tone.

"Like I said before, I'll deal with them," Akashi said. "Now then, let's get a move on for this plan. Jaeger you're with us."

"Yes, sir," Eren said and began to walk towards the group.

Akashi caught the girl's eyes follow Eren with worry. It obvious the three of them were close, and he remembered reading about the girl's skills in a report. She had come close to scoring the same as him in combat.

"You there, what's your name?" Akashi asked.

"Mikasa Ackerman, sir," Mikasa said.

"Come with us. We'll need someone close to him should anything happen," Akashi said.

"Yes, sir," Mikasa replied.

A worried expression crept onto Armin's face as he watched two of his friends join a group of humanity's strongest soldiers. He knew he should not feel worried, but a part of him could not shake the feeling.

"The plan will work Armin. We'll see you when this is all over," Eren said before he broke out into a jog.

—

Among the other soldiers there was murmurs about how, even with their presence, victory seemed almost impossible. Kagami did not have an opinion on the matter, he just wanted today to over; be it him dying or sealing the wall. Due to his injured hands, he was assigned to mass amount of soldiers that were gathering at the corner of the wall to lure the titans. As the titans lumbered towards them, groups of soldiers hung from the top of the wall just out of reach of the titans reach.

Kagami looked down the wall to see the large amount of gathered titans, all of them trying to grab someone. Kagami was sure if they could make expressions, they were no doubt frustrated. Kagami looked across the ravaged city to see a few titans still scattered about and could faintly make out a group of soldiers running atop the wall; no doubt that was the elite squad everyone was going on about.

 _Flashback_

"Who are those guys?" Kagami asked.

There was an audible gasp from everyone around him. He looked around those around him and all eyes were on him.

"What?"

"You seriously have no idea who those five are?" Connie asked.

"Dude, everyone knows who they are!" Sasha said.

"Really?"

Everyone around him nodded.

"They're the top five cadets from the previous graduating class. Their scores are said to be the highest in humanity's history," Albrecht explained.

"That doesn't help me," Kagami said.

"Here's the run down. The really tall one, is called Atsushi Murasakibara. Ranked fourth among them. The blonde one is Ryota Kise. Ranked fifth and has the third highest recorded combat score. Both of them are with the Garrison. They fought in Trost today. The other three are MP's. The tan one is Daiki Aomine. Ranked second and has the highest score in combat ever. No one comes close to it. The one with glasses is Shintaro Midorima. Ranked third and has the second highest score in the classroom. Finally, their 'leader,' Seijūrō Akashi. Son of a high ranking noble and already a captain of the MP's. He ranked first and has the highest classroom score and the second highest combat score," Jean explained.

Kagami took in the information and looked towards them as the shot up the wall. To him they did not really seem like all that much, but everything Jean said made him curious.

After Jean finished explaining, there were comments among the other cadets about them.

"What's really impressive is that they're all like Mikasa, Oriental," Reiner added.

Bertolt nodded in agreement. "A race normally shunned rose that high up all on their own."

"There are two more that are part of the Scouts. They were ranked sixth and seventh respectively," Connie added.

"Plus, they all have a different hair color so you know who each one is instantly," Aline added.

"Three of them seemed to have brown hair to me," Kagami said.

"You're not wrong. It's only a line. Atsushi has a purple line, Daiki has a dark blue line, and Shintaro has a green line," Marco explained.

Kagami took in the information and pieced it all together. They were clearly strong and easily recognizable, so now he understood why everyone was so happy to see them. He had also seen the two that were in the Scouts earlier in the day. He saw a boy with a line of light blue hair and a girl with a line of pink hair.

 _End Flashback_

 _Those guys are some of humanity's strongest soldiers, huh._

"Look, over there, green smoke!" a solider called out.

Kagami looked up to see green smoke coming from the other side of the wall. What followed was a serious sense of deja vu. The sunset sky seemed to turn green and lightning bolt fell from the sky. Kagami half expected the Colossal Titan to appear, but its giant form never appeared. The familiar roar of Eren's titan form could be heard through Trost. It was now only a matter of time before the hole was sealed. However, after the roar, everything fell silent. Kagami rose an eyebrow, wondering what was taking Eren so long. His questions were quickly answered, when a red smoke appeared where the bolder was located.

 _The idiot couldn't make it happen. No doubt we're going to abandon Trost soon,_ Kagami thought.

He wanted to tighten the grip of his fist, but the pain of his hands would not let him. He looked down at them and saw the bandages were coated with blood. He brought his hand closer to his face and saw a drop fall to the floor.

 _I got my own problems to worry about. Whatever his problem is, he's gotta figure it out._

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Armin break out into a run and Marco calling out to him. No doubt he was going to figure out what happened to Eren and why the plan was not working. Kagami knew if anyone could figure out a work around it would be him.

Next to him he could hear several soldiers beginning to break down. He could understand why, the hope they had been given was just taken away and likely might not come back. However, one soldier's wailing was louder than others. He looked to his side to see Daz breaking down again. Fear had taken over instantly, and fear easily caught on. He could see Josh walk up towards him, anger etched on his face. He placed a bloodied hand on his shoulder and stopped him, his rage partly subsiding.

"Hey, Dazz!" Kagami called out.

The fear filled cadet turned towards him, tears raining down his face. He was about to say something when Kagami's fist connected with his jaw. Everyone around them took a step back and saw Kagami's bloodied fist and Dazz's bloodied face. Dazz cupped his cheek, his eyes falling onto Kagami. Kagami looked down on him, both literally and figuratively.

"You're lucky I stopped someone else from getting to you. 'Cause they would've done more than just punch you," Kagami said coldly.

"L-Look man, I just don't want to die here," Dazz replied.

"Don't you think that's what everyone is feeling? You think you're special because you're scared?"

"You haven't seen what I've seen out there."

Kagami took in a breath. "Are you sure about that? We were all sent to the front lines. We all saw death. Some of use had it worse than others." He glanced back towards Josh. "But we kept going. Believe me, I'm the only person here who actively wants to die, but that hasn't stopped me from fighting. Now respect those who did die fighting by not pissing your pants every time shit goes sideways."

As Dazz began to slowly stand up, Kagami landed another punch.

"If you're going to be scared of something, be scared of me."

Kagami turned away from him and the soldiers gathered around them opened up a path for Kagami to walk. All their eyes fell onto his bloody bandaged hands and knew they did not want his fist connecting on their faces. Kagami then stopped walking and turned his head towards everyone behind him.

"The same goes for the rest of you."

The cadets that knew him best watched as his cold expression worked on everyone present. They also noted that Kagami spoke more in that moment than ever before. Even when he would speak with Josh he never spoke more than a few sentences.

"Thanks man," Josh said walking up to the red head. "I don't know what I would've done."

"Probably threaten to throw him off the wall," Kagami replied with a shrug.

Josh let out a humorless laugh. "Maybe you're right. By the way, you should get your hands bandaged again."

Kagami looked towards his hands. "Later. We still have a job to do."

—-

"Oi, Akashi, call it already. This plan is shot. Midorima already fired the flare," Aomine said.

"No, Jaeger is out best shot. We just need to wake him up," Akashi replied sternly.

"Look at him!" Aomine yelled pointing his blade towards Eren's titan body. "He ain't gonna wake up anytime soon. Might as well abandon him now."

Mikasa turned towards the MP and gave him a steely eyed look. She was ready to attack him if he decided to abandon Eren. Kise got in her way and smiled. His smile telling her to calm down.

"There are two titans coming from the south and another from the north!" one Garrison solider called out.

"Oh, crap! There are four more coming through the gate!" another soldier yelled.

"Our mission now is to defend Jaeger and that's an order," Akashi said. "Shintaro and Daiki handle the two coming from the south. The rest of us will handle the ones to the north, plus those that continue entering. Rendezvous with us when all targets are eliminated. Ackerman, wake him up."

"Yes, sir!" everyone said.

Aomine and Midorima launched themselves towards the two lumbering titans, which were being distracted by Garrison soldiers. Aomine sped ahead of Midorima, wanting to kill both titans so they could focus on the ones that would be entering Trost.

"Out of the way!" Aomine yelled to the other soldiers.

The soldiers nodded and gave Aomine an opening to attack. Aomine latched his cable on a chimney and used it to swing around to increase his speed. Using a small impulse of gas, Aomine cut down one titan, but only mildly grazed the other. Aomine clicked his tongue in frustration. He looked towards Midorima, who was preparing to strike the titan.

"I missed. Finish him!"

"I know, dumbass," Midorima called out.

Midorima launched himself into the air and spun around in order to have a straight shot towards the nape. He latched his cables onto the titans back and flew in at high speeds. He cleanly cut through the nape, not wasting a single motion. Its blood splattered into the air and landed on his glasses. When he landed on a rooftop, he could hear Aomine's laughter.

"Oh, man, you look so stupid."

Midorima grunted and used cloth to clean the blood off his glasses.

"If you're done laughing, we still have a job to do," Midorima said.

"I know, I know," Aomine replied.

To the north, Akashi took out the titan with ease, but more quickly replaced it. Kise and Murasakibara were also not having too much trouble, but the amount of titans kept increasing with each one they killed. The Garrison soldiers that had accompanied them as back up were falling to the amount of titans that kept appearing.

 _Dammit. How the hell did this many titans appear here? It's as if they don't smell all the bodies gathered in the corner of town,_ Akashi thought.

After dispatching another titan, Akashi landed on a rooftop to catch his breath. He surveyed everyone fighting, the Garrison soldiers continued to fall while his friends were still alive. He looked over towards the immobile body of Eren's titan, it was still sitting against the bolder.

 _Wake him up, Ackerman._

Akashi was about to jump back into the fight when he saw a titan climbing over a building, ready to lunge at Eren.

"Ackerman, behind you!"

Mikasa turned to see a titan trying to get its body over the building. Rage crossed her face and she leaped into action. She maneuvered around buildings to get behind the titan and cut its nape. The titan slumped against the building, and began to decompose.

 _That's why there are so many titans, they're after Jaeger. Something about him must be attracting them._

"Everyone continue to defend Jaeger! The titans are after him! Don't let the bastards near the bolder!" Akashi yelled out.

Akashi partly hoped that everyone heard his order and jumped back into the fight. As he shot off the rooftop, he could see Armin arrive and began to try to wake Eren up.

 _With those two here, I'm sure they can wake him up and get him to do his damn job._

Akashi struck down another titan just as it grabbed a soldier, followed by another as it tried to yank on his cable. With another set of quick movements, he cut down three more. With his blades spent, he quickly replaced them and as he was just about to jump back into battle, a large hand grabbed him. Akashi looked back to see the titan that had grabbed him. It jaws opened as he brought him closer. However, he was not eaten as Midorima struck down the titan and its grip on him loosened.

"Thanks."

"Well someone had to save your skin," Midorima replied. "How's Jaeger doing?"

"Not sure, though I'm sure Arlert will wake him up," Akashi said.

As Akashi finished his sentence, the thumping of footsteps could be heard. Both looked towards where the sound was coming from and they saw Eren carrying the bolder on his back. Soon everyone was seeing Eren slowly walk towards the hole. Now was when the true battle began.

Akashi smiled. "Finally. Everyone, protect Jaeger from all titans in his way! Now is when we take back this city!"

The soldiers around him let out a battle cry and jump into battle, ready to defend Eren.

"More titans are coming through the gate!" Kise yelled.

"We'll just have to cut them down! Let's go soldiers! Now is where we must give up our hearts!"

—

At the top of the wall, the soldiers gathered there watched Eren's titan form carried the bolder towards the hole. Kagami's eyes had widened in disbelief. He could not actually believe what he was seeing.

"He did it. He actually lifted it," Kagami mumbled.

"Amazing," a voice said next to him.

Kagami looked to his side to see Christ stand next to him.

"I thought you went with the others to save Jean?" Kagami asked.

"They had plenty of people," Christ replied.

Kagami nodded and turned back to see Eren carrying the bolder. He could feel the happiness welling up inside, but kept it under control.

"He really is incredible."

Kagami looked towards Christa, who was still watching Eren carrying the bolder.

"Did you say something?"

Christa nodded no, and kept her eyes fixed on Eren.

"I did, Taiga," the voice said.

Kagami looked to the side and saw Tatsuya standing next to him. Kagami would feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He wanted to cry of happiness, but he stopped himself.

"Keep living after this day. Please, I want to see you happy," Tatsuya said.

Kagami blinked and Tatusya was gone. He reached out, trying to see if he was still there, but his hand simply grabbed air. He felt a single tear drop from his eye and he turned back to watch Eren.

Out of the corner of her eye, Christa could see Kagami's emotion. She smiled, but made no comment about it.

"Not to be pessimistic, but the amount of people out there is not enough to keep all those titans at bay. Even with that elite squad," Kagami said.

"You're not planning on jumping in there are you?" Christa asked.

Before she could get response, Kagami was already jumping into action. Christa groaned and followed him into battle. As they neared the main battle field, titans began to swarm from all around them. Kagami avoided a large hand that tired to swat him out of the sky and turned around to engage. He ignored the pain in his hands and clicked on the triggers to get into a favorable position. He managed to get behind the titan and latch on his cables on it back. In a quick movement, he dove downwards and slashed the titan's nape, killing it.

He landed on a rooftop and surveyed his surroundings before continuing towards the gate.

"Hey, Taiga! Wait up!" Christa called out.

Kagami turned to see a titan coming up from behind her and reaching out. Kagami's eyes widened and he sped towards her.

"Christa, behind you!"

Christa looked back and yelped in fear. However, before the titan could grab her, Kagami slashed its fingers off.

"Get out of here, I'll handle it," Kagami ordered.

"I can fight too. I'm not helpless," Christa said, following the red head.

"Fine, distract it and I'll go for the nape," Kagami replied.

Christa nodded and separated from Kagami.

With its attention on Christa, Kagami swung around behind it and got into position. Kagami then found his opening and flew high into the air. He spun around and latched his cables on the building next to the titan. Kagami sped towards the titan and slashed its nape.

"Nice job!" Christa called out.

However, before they could regroup, the falling titan collided with Christa's cables, causing her to plummet to the ground.

"Christa!"

Kagami swooped down and managed to catch her just before he hit the ground. The two landed on a rooftop. Kagami let her go and the two panted heavily.

"Thank you for saving me," Christa said.

Kagami waved his hand. "I wasn't going to just let you die."

"But you used up a lot of gas to save me."

"That doesn't matter. Your life is much more valuable than my gas," Kagami said with a small smile on his face.

Christa blushed at his words and turned away from him.

"Now come on. The rest of them will need our help," Kagami said as he stood up.

Christa nodded in response.

Once the two caught their breaths, they continued to make their way towards the gate. Which was in much worse shape than they had anticipated.

—

Kise watched as Eren inched closer and closer to the gate. The giant bolder hoisted on his back was the embodiment of victory and they were so close. However, that did not stop the amount of titans that were gathering around him. Even with the unexpected reinforcements from the cadets was proving to have little effect on the number of enemies.

As Kise killed another titan that was getting too close to Eren, he took a moment to survey the battlefield. Blood littered the area. Bodies continued to pile up. Even Pyxis' elite unit he had assemble was being wiped out. Even he was starting to run low on blades and gas. He knew it was only a matter of time before their supplies would run out.

He turned back towards Eren, who was only a few meters away from the hole.

 _Come on Jaeger. I know you can do this!_

As he neared the hole, Armin's encouraging scream pierced the battlefield and it was followed by a thundering sound and gust of wind. Kise covered his eyes and when the wind subsided, he opened them to see the hole had been sealed. He actually did it, Eren had sealed the hole.

Kise maneuvered towards Eren's quickly decomposing from, his strength obviously spent. He could see the soldiers around him looking towards the sealed hole. They were all in shock that they had actually pulled it off. When he landed next to Armin, he could feel the hot steam that emanated from his body.

"He's still attached. It's hard to get him out."

"We have to hurry up. Titans are still coming," Kise said as he saw five more titans approaching. "We have not other option, but to cut."

"Wait, we don't know what that'll do to him," Mikasa replied, worry evident in her voice.

However, Kise did not listen and cut Eren out of the nape. He hoisted the teen over his shoulder and slid down the burning body.

"We have to get these titan's clear so we can move Eren to a safe location," Kise ordered.

"On it," Mikasa said drawing her blades.

However, a body dropped from the sky and with quick maneuvers dispatched both of the titans. The three that were behind it also killed, but it was as if the killer was not even present.

On the decomposing titan bodies in front of them landed a male soldier with black hair and a green cape flowing with the wind. On the cape was the blue and white wings, the symbol of the Scout Regiment.

"That's… the Wings of Freedom," Eren mumbled.

The man turned his eyes towards everyone gathered, people who Kise was not aware were even there. His gaze move from the decomposing titan body to the gathered soldiers. "Pay attention kiddos, this is the part where you tell me exactly what is going on."

"Not just him," another voice said, accompanied by the sound of recoiling cables. "But me as well."

Kise's eyes widened in realization. In front of him stood Captain Levi and, his friend, Kuroko.

 **AN: With that this chapter comes to an end. Sorry for taking so long on uploading, life got in the way. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had fun writing this one, though I had to go back to the show to remember certain events. I'm still not very good and writing ODM gear battles, but with this chapter I feel like I'm getting better. With that said, stay tuned for the next chapter. If you're enjoying the story, feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Remember, I do NOT own AoT or KnB!**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Got a long one for ya. I hope you enjoy. Remember, I do not own KnB or AoT.**

Chapter 10

The Price of Victory

The Scouts rode towards Trost as quickly as they could, however, time was not at their side. When they neared the gated city, it was already sunset. As they rode closer and closer, the worry within Kuroko grew. A million what if questions ran through his mind and most of them involved Kise.

His worry also grew with the lack of titans they encountered during their journey back. Not seeing titans trying to eat them made him worry that they were all in Trost.

"Hey!" Conner called out.

Kuroko turned back to his comrade to see him riding up to his side.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. Maybe we just got lucky that the titans weren't after us."

Kuroko nodded no. "I don't think that's what's happening."

"Plus," Satsuki said as she rode closer to Kuroko, "if titans did breach the wall, Ryouta's there. His skills alone rival a whole squad."

"I know that, but he can't take down hordes of titans alone without tiring."

Kuroko wanted to believe in the more optimistic outlook, however, he had learned that it was always rarely the case.

"Plus, when have my hunches been wrong."

The other two tried to argue, but could not find the words. Kuroko had a reputation, like the commander, to accurately predict how certain things might play out.

"I'm going to meet up with the commander. You two stay in formation."

The two nodded and watched as their captain rode ahead of them. Kuroko cut to the front of the formation, where he saw the commander conversing with Levi. No doubt the other captain had had a similar idea to him.

"Commander!" Kuroko called out to make his presence known.

Commander Erwin, Levi, and the soldiers accompanying the commander all turned to the arriving captain and acknowledged his presence.

"Perfect timing Testsuya. I have an assignment for you," Erwin said.

Kuroko nodded in response and gave his full attention to the commander.

"I want you and Levi to ride ahead and get over the wall to ascertain the situation. The rest of the regiment will focus on eliminating the titans that lie out side the wall."

"Yes, sir."

"Ready to move out, Tetsuya?" Levi asked.

"If you are."

Levi nodded and cracked the reins on his horse and sped forwards. Kuroko did the same and followed his fellow captain.

"Alert the other teams of Tetsuya and Levi's assignment. We should be arriving at Trost in half an hour."

"Yes, sir!" the two soldiers at his side said. They turned their horses around and began to relay the message from the commander.

 _I hope we make it in time,_ Erwin thought as he continued to ride forwards.

—

As Levi and Kuroko neared the wall, Kuroko's worries increased ten fold. The gate at Trost had been breached and titans were entering unchecked. He could see the smoke from fires creeping over the wall. However, he was more worried about the civilians and hoped that the second gate had not been breached as well.

As they were about to launch off their horses, the two captains were caught by surprise when the hole in the gate suddenly closed with a loud crash. Both captains looked at each other in surprise and nodded, they needed to know what was happening on the other side. The two jumped off their horses and launched their cables as high as they could go. As they got closer to the top of the wall, they increased their speed to get over the wall.

When they did, Kuroko could see what was happening in Trost. He watched, horrified, as titans lumbered around the city, scooping up soldiers and shoving them into their mouths. Kuroko and Levi noticed the cluster of titans and soldiers by the southern corner of the wall, and wondered what the meant. From the edge of his gaze, he could see a handful of soldiers gathered around the steaming corpse of a titan. In front of them lumbered five more titans.

"Levi! Down there! We got to help them," Kuroko said pointing with his blade.

Levi turned to where he was pointing and saw what seemed to be someone pulling someone out from a titan's nape.

"I'm assuming your squad will join us soon?" Kuroko asked.

"They'll be here. I'm sure everyone can take down those titans on the other side."

"Then you take the two in the front and I'll get the three in the back," Kuroko said as he jumped down from the wall.

"You don't give me orders," Levi grumbled as he jumped down.

Kuroko latched onto the tallest building and swung around it to get the angle he needed. When he was in position, he latched his cables on the nearest titan and slashed its nape. In quick succession he killed the other two as well and preserving as much gas a possible. He landed on a rooftop and saw that Levi had finished dispatching his targets. He launched himself towards Levi and caught the ending of his sentence: wanting to know what was going on.

"Not just him," Kuroko said as he landed on the decomposing titan, "but me as well."

While stood facing away from the group of soldiers, Kuroko faced them. He saw that there were a collection of cadets and members of the Garrison Regiment. His gaze fell on Kise who was standing next to Armin and Mikasa and had Eren joisted over his shoulder. Kise and Kuroko locked eyes, and Kise nodded.

"We don't have a lot of time to explain. We need to get this guy over the wall. He's being targeted by the titans," Kise said.

Levi turned to Kuroko and rose an eyebrow. Before he could say anything, a voice called out to them.

"Captain! Tetsuya!"

The two looked up to see Petra and three other soldiers land.

"Took you guys long enough. Right now we need to get these guys over the wall!" Levi said pointing at the group of soldiers. "Defend them at all costs!"

"Roger!" the four Scouts said as the launched into battle.

"Let's go soldiers!" Kuroko said before following the other soldiers.

"Yes, sir!"

Kuroko followed closely behind Levi's squad. They took down any titan in the way with their built up teamwork and precision. In the back of Kuroko's mind he knew that this was a showcase of the strength of the Scout Regiment, and that thought put a smile on his face. He was also happy to see that Kise was still alive. He would never admit it to him, but he was worried that his friend had possibly died.

"Testuya!" Petra's voice called out. "Help me take this one down."

Kuroko nodded. "Let's go, Petra."

Kuroko sped up and go into position. As the titan went to grab Petra, she slashed its fingers off leaving only its smoking palm. Kuroko used the distraction to latch onto the titans back and slash it across its nape, killing it.

"Thanks, Petra!"

Petra nodded in response and sped ahead to meet up with the rest of Levi's squad.

After clearing the city and managing to rendezvous with the gathered soldiers, the ones that followed the Scout regiment breathed sighs of relief.

"I need someone to explain to me exactly was has transpired here today," Levi announced to everyone.

They all looked towards the Scout Regiment's best soldier, but could not say anything. Kuroko walked to Levi's side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"These cadets and soldiers have been through a lot. Why don't we let them rest a bit before questioning them."

Before Levi could respond, what sounded like a gunshot rang out. Kuroko, Levi, and everyone present looked towards where the sound was coming from and saw a tower of green smoke.

"That must be Commander Erwin. He'll want a sit-rep of the situation," Levi said.

"I'll go and explain everything," a voice said.

Levi and Kuroko turned back towards the group to see Kise walking up to them.

"The cadets need some time to rest. So, I'll go and explain the situation," Kise said.

"All right then. Follow us," Levi said before jumping off the wall.

Kise followed hastily behind, and as he jumped he looked back towards the group of cadets. He felt better knowing that no one had perished as they returned to the wall. He credited that to the Scout Regiment.

As the group arrived to where the flare was fired, Kise saw that not only was the Scout Regiment commander waiting there, but also other high ranking regiment members. When Kise landed, Commander Erwin's attention gravitated towards him. Kise felt a bit intimidated by the man, something Kuroko caught.

"You can relax now. Calmly tell me how this all happened."

The Commander's calm voiced helped Kise feel a bit more relaxed and allowed him to collect his thoughts.

"Might as well start from the beginning. At 0900 hours, the Colossal Titan appeared and breached the gate into Trost."

There were many surprised gasps released from the soldiers present.

"That was about an hour after we left for the expedition," Hange said.

Kuroko placed a hand on his chin and began to think. Something was not adding up in his mind.

"Continue."

Kise nodded and took in a breath. "At 1000 hours, everyone was mobilized to protect the civilian evacuation. At the point, the Armored Titan was no where to be seen."

"But what about the Colossal?" Mike asked.

"Vanished in a large cloud of steam as reported from cadets that were stationed for cannon maintenance. By 1500 hours, all the civilians had been evacuated and the retreated order had been given. Then, at 1700 hours, the operation to seal Trost's breach started."

"How'd you all accomplish that?" Levi asked.

"This is where things begin to get strange."

"Don't leave anything out," Erwin said after being silent.

"In order to move the bolder you see at the gate, we discovered that cadet Eren Jaeger has the ability to transform into a titan."

There was silence among the Scout Regiment soldiers. None of them said a word. They all seemed to be processing the information. Kuroko was very pensive on the information given. Things were beginning to connect in his mind and he just about had to get the full picture.

"Huh?" Mike finally said.

"I'm being serious. A human has the ability to transform into a titan. We're not entirely sure how it works and some of us witnessed it happening right in front of our faces."

"Now hold on minute. You just expect us to believe that?" Levi asked, skepticism in his voice.

"Just think about it Levi. How do you think that bolder was moved?" Hange replied as they began to get giddy with excitement. Behind them, Moblit groaned.

"I have not said a single lie or any false report. It's just as unbelievable as it sounds," Kise said.

"I don't think it's possible to lie about something like this. We weren't here to witness it and all we have to go on is your word," Erwin said. "Return to your post. Thank you soldier."

Kise nodded and saluted. Before he left, he turned to Kuroko; who was still lost in thought.

"They're here," he said before jumping off the wall.

Kuroko's eyes widened before he saw Kise speed towards the group of soldiers still gathered by the wall.

"What're you thinking, Tetsuya?" Erwin asked, turning to Kuroko.

"Things are starting to add up after being unsolvable for so long. I need time to think. Just tell me when the final clean up operations are under way," Kuroko said.

Erwin nodded in response. "Understood. Any minute now those cannons should be beginning to fire on the horde of titans. It might be some time before they cease."

"That'll give me plenty of time to think," Kuroko said.

"I'll expect a detailed report," Erwin said.

Kuroko nodded in response and jumped down from the wall. He needed to find the others, just to make sure that they were all alive.

—-

When Kuroko made it the other side of Trost, the cannons had begun to fire onto the horde of Titans. Before jumping down, he stood a watched for few moments. Normally it would take several shots to hit the nape with a cannon. However, with all of them clustered in the corner, it was more than likely that the cannons would thin out the herd. He watched the steam and smoke rise of the constant firing, to the point where the horde of titans was covered by it. It would not be long before all of Trost was covered by dust and smoke. By then however, there would be a lot less titans to deal with.

"Quite the sight, isn't it?" a voice said.

Kuroko looked to his side to see bald man with a white mustache. He recognized him as one of the commanders of the Garrison Regiment: Dot Pyxis.

"Commander Pyxis," Kuroko said turning to the older man and saluting him.

Pyxis put his hand up to put him at ease. Kuroko brought his hands down and placed them behind his back, in order to still show respect to the Garrison commander. Commander Pyxis returned his gaze to the horde to titans, and Kuroko followed his gaze.

"I'm glad you Scouts returned just in time."

Kuroko nodded in response. "I agree. Though I wish we'd have arrived sooner."

"While that would have been preferable, the others like you certainly helped in retaking the city. One of them alone has the skill of an entire squad," Commander Pyxis said.

"That may be true, but even still, they're only human. They'd eventually tire," Kuroko said.

Commander Pyxis let out a sigh and turned away from watching the horde. He had his back to it, looking at the assembling soldiers below the wall. Kuroko, meanwhile, kept facing forwards, not wanting to disrespect the commander.

"Your friends brought troop morale higher than anticipated. However, many still perished or have yet to be accounted for. Can't say I'm proud of that."

"There will always be casualties in war. The Scouts know that better than most," Kuroko responded.

"I would be inclined to believe that," Commander Pyxis said. "Your friends are resting in a store house. No doubt preparing for what comes next."

Kuroko nodded and turned towards the commander. "Thank you sir. It was enlightening talking with you."

"Likewise."

Kuroko nodded again and jumped down the wall. The sound of his landing caused for some of the soldiers gathered there to look his way. However, many were saying that there was nobody present. It took a moment, but as Kuroko walked forwards, people began to notice his presence. Calling him by his nickname: Ghost of the Survey Corps. Kuroko rolled his eyes at the nickname, but if it stirred up morale among the soldiers he did not mind it.

Kuroko walked to the outskirts of the area and saw Aomine leaning against a wall. He seemed to be staring at the ground, no doubt mulling over his thoughts. Kuroko's gaze fell on the MP emblem on his shoulder and cringed at the sight. Even since joining the Scouts, his view of the Military Police regiment had progressively deteriorated. He only held his friends in high regard.

The sound of Kuroko's boots sounding against the dirt caused Aomine to look up. His eyes widened at the sight of him. He could see the semblance of a smile on his face, but it quickly faded. Aomine removed himself from the wall and walked up to Kuroko. The two faced each other in silence, until the silence caused them both to start laughing.

"It's good to see you're alive," Aomine said as he calmed down.

"The same goes for me. Though can't say I expected to find you here."

Aomine placed a hand behind his head and let out a sigh. "If we weren't here, things might have been very different."

"Oh, hey I told you Kurokocchi was here!" a voice called out.

Kuroko immediately recognized it as Kise, largely because of the nickname. From within the storehouse walked out Momoi, Kise, Midorima and Murasakibara. Momoi walked over to Kuroko's side, both brandishing their Scout cloaks while the others were without theirs from their respective regiments.

"I'm surprised to see most of you here. I thought you were stationed at Karanes."

"I was temporarily reassigned to Trost. So I just happened to be here when it all went down," Murasakibara answered lazily.

"I'm more surprised that Aomine-kun and Midorin are here," Momoi said.

"Their here because I brought them here," a stern voice said.

From within the darkened store house, Akashi walked out. He walked up to Kuroko and crossed his arms across his chest. Kuroko's expression hardened at the sight of the red head.

Around them, people noticed all seven gathered and marveled at the sight. Some said that if all seven were present the titans would not have stood a chance. Others where just in awe that they were in their presence.

"How long has it been, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked.

"Five years, Akashi-kun," Kuroko replied.

"I'm glad to see you two are still alive, considering the regiment you chose." There was a coldness to Akashi's words. Something that was not lost on Kuroko.

"Even after five years you still disapprove?"

"Of course. They are a waste of your talents," Akashi said.

"I'd say I'm putting my talents to good use."

Akashi's eyes narrowed. Kuroko knew about Akashi's disapproval of the Scouts and him joining them. It was likely that in the five years they had not seen each other, those sentiments only grew.

"Also, on duty, you are to address me as Captain Tetsuya," Kuroko added.

There were surprised gasps from everyone except Akashi. He simply took in a breath and released it.

"I see. So you rose in rank, congratulations."

Before Kuroko could respond, Kise got between the both of them and placed a hand on their shoulders.

"Now, now, no need to fight. We're all just a bit on edge, but happy we're all still alive," Kise said nervously.

"I guess you're right," Akashi said pushing Kise's hand off his shoulder.

Kuroko's expression softened and he turned to Kise. "Where's Eren, Kise?"

"With my squad. En route to Stohess," Akashi answered.

Kuroko turned to Akashi. He wanted to ask him a lot of questions after that answered, but managed to keep his cool. "I see. I wished to see him before hand."

"He was too dangerous to be kept here. We need to ascertain his intentions before anything can be done," Midorima said.

"I understand. What of his friends? Mikasa and Armin?"

"They went with him. I don't know why though," Kise answered.

"Probably 'cause they're friends," Murasakibara said sarcastically.

A chuckle escaped from all of them, minus Akashi, at Murasakibara's comment. The levity created allowed for them to forget for a moment about what had just transpired in Trost. However, that levity did not last, as the incessant sound of cannons continued to be heard as the sun had just finished setting.

Kuroko cleared his throat, getting the attention of everyone around him. "Sorry, but Momoi-san and I need to cut this short. We have regiment business to take care of."

Kise nodded in response. "I'm sure the Scouts will be busy soon. Hell, we all will once those cannons stop firing."

"Thank you for understanding. Let's go Momoi-san. We need to find Conner."

Momoi nodded and turned away from the five. "It was good seeing you all again."

"Likewise," Midorima said pushing up his glasses.

The two Scouts turned away from the five and began to walk back towards the base of the wall. In Kuroko's mind raced what he had discovered from Kise when they had arrived. Things were starting to make sense, at least what was once unknown was slowly becoming known.

—

The cadets of the 104th were finally given a chance to rest a few hours past midnight. Kagami walked behind the group of cadets, staring at his hands. He had them recently rebandaged, but they had already begun to be stained red with blood. Because he decided to jump into battle, his hands had deteriorated and a medic told him he was going to be kept off duty for a few days.

He let his hands fall to his sides and stared towards the cadets in front of him. They all groaned as they slowly walked to a store house that had been allotted to them for rest. He could not blame them for feeling so tired, as even he was bound to pass out. The gear around his waist felt heavy and he just wanted to rip it off.

"How're your hands?" a voice asked sleepily.

Kagami looked down to see that Christa had walked up towards him. Despite her very tired expression, her eyes still showed concern for him. Kagami knew she was like that with everyone, but the fact that she was concerned about him, when Josh was basically standing due to sheer willpower, surprised him.

"Fine. Though it hurts to close them," Kagami responded. "Shouldn't you be more worried about Josh?"

The two turned to see Josh being helped in by Annie, followed by Albrecht who had Aline on his back.

"I am, but I'm also worried about you. You did save me and all," Christ said turning back to Kagami.

"You don't need to thank me for that. Now get some rest."

"I think I will," Christ said with a yawn.

Kagami watched as she settled into a corner and used a crumpled up rain coat as a pillow. Kagami could not help but crack a smile. Despite his distance from everyone, he still found the sight a bit cute. As he turned away from Christ, he was met by Ymir who had a scowl on her face.

"Yes?"

"Don't get any funny ideas," Ymir said, pointing at him.

Kagami stepped aside to allow Ymir to walk past him. He saw as she laid down next to Christa and fall asleep beside her. He rolled his eyes and turned away from them.

Kagami looked around the store house to see everyone had fallen asleep. They had fallen asleep as if the sound of the cannons did not exist. Which was ironic since some of them were complaining that the sound would keep them up at night. Kagami silently chuckled and stepped outside. To his surprise, he saw Annie resting against a wall, but she was still awake.

"Thought you'd crash next to Josh," Kagami said.

Annie turned towards him to acknowledge his presence and quickly turned away. She was looking towards the ground. Most likely thinking about something.

"Something on your mind?"

"You could say that," Annie said with a shrug.

Annie turned towards him again and rose an eyebrow when she saw that he still had his maneuver gear equipped. "Aren't you going to take off the gear?"

"I was, but I got so used to wearing it I forgot it was there," Kagami said as he began to take off the gear.

There was a silence between them. Kagami knew Annie was not much of a talker. But, then again, so was he. This was their first conversation since they had begun training. To him she never seemed like someone who had friends, even when she was around Reiner and Bertolt it did not seem like they were friends. The thought of that made something click in Kagami's mind.

"You're hiding something, aren't you?"

Her eyes widened and she slowly turned her head towards Kagami. Her expression caused for a shiver to go down Kagami's spine. If looks could kill, hers could definitely kill him.

"What're you talking about?"

"I can see it in your eyes. Your expression to," Kagami said as he sat down. "You, Reiner, and Bertolt are hiding something. Something has seemed off since you three started training."

"What do you know about us?"

"Not much. Only that you three come from the same place."

"For someone who doesn't associate with others, you sure are nosy," Annie said, ice in her voice.

"I'm just observant. When you grow up on the streets you learn how to observe and pick up on things others don't."

"Care to give an example." Her icy tone remained.

"The lie you tell about where you're from."

Annie took a step forwards. Kagami's hand instinctively went to the blade at his side, but she did not take another step.

"You guys aren't the only ones."

"Huh?" Her expression softened a bit, but he cold tone remained.

"Christa is hiding something behind that act of hers. Ymir seems to know a lot more about things than she lets on. Like I said, I'm observant," Kagami said.

"Perhaps a bit too observant," Annie muttered in response.

"Are you going to come clean to Josh about what you've been hiding?" Kagami asked.

"What do you think I'm hiding?" Annie asked as her gaze towards him hardened.

"Don't know. But it's big enough to keep it hidden," Kagami said as he stood up. "Keeping things hidden like that will only make it harder to keep it that way."

"What about you? What are you hiding?"

"Nothing. I'm an orphan form birth from Shiganshina. I'd been living on the streets for as long as I can remember. I was sixteen when the Colossal Titan attacked and eighteen when I join the cadet corps. But everyone knows that, even if I don't speak to them."

With that Kagami walked into the store room and managed to find the one open corner where could sleep. He took off his jack and crumpled it up to make a pillow. The moment his head touched it, he was fast asleep.

—-

Kise woke up early that morning to the sun hitting his face and the sound of the cannons firing. If Kise had to be honest with himself, what he had just woken up from was the best sleep he had had in a long time. He quickly put on his uniform and met up with Seig in the impromptu mess hall. Many were gathered there, Survey Corps, Garrison, and cadets. More than half seemed like they barely slept and had just woken up. Kise could not blame them. Yesterday's events were reason enough to keep someone up at night.

What had Kise the most concerned was that Yuri and the rest of his squad were still no where to be seen. Kise looked towards Seig, who was also glancing around the mess hall.

"Do you think Yuri and the other's are dead?" Kise asked.

Seig began to cough as the question had taken him by surprise and he was choking on a piece of bread. When he managed to swallow, Seig glared at him.

"They're still MIA. That's reason enough to believe they're still alive. Plus Yuri and the others are veterans. They wouldn't have gone down easy."

"I get that, but the fact that we haven't seen him since this shitfest started has me thinking the worst," Kise said, his voice low and solemn.

"Well, we're on duty for taking out stragglers. We can search then."

Kise nodded and returned to his half eaten breakfast. When the two finished, they put on their gear and met up with other members of the operation. He recognized some of the cadets present from those who were with Eren Jaeger. He felt sad that cadets were being roped into the operation. No doubt someone fought the decision because there were less cadets than originally assigned. That alleviated some of the sadness.

The soldiers were given their orders by a short statured female Scout soldier, who Kise thought spoke loudly to make up for her height. With her was a more laid back solider, who took pleasure in teasing her. Apparently the mention of Levi, struck a nerve with her and Kuroko's name also gave her irritation.

"We're taking orders from this crazy chick?" One soldier muttered.

The Scout sent them a glare, which caused them to stiffen in fear. Kise made a mental note to not get on her bad side.

Kise's group was assigned to search around the area of the outer gate. Kise silently hoped that there would be no titans around there, but deep down he knew that would not be the case. The squad soon mobilized and used the elevators to get to the top of the wall. Once there, Kise surveyed Trost and was quick to notice how the whole city was engulfed in a smokey haze. He looked to the side to see that the cannons continued to fire.

 _Damn. They've been at it all night,_ Kise thought.

"So, we're supposed to look for stragglers in that?" one Garrison solider asked.

"Yep, now come on, we got to get to our section," Seig said, rallying everyone.

The squad jogged across the top of the wall towards the gate. Once they got there, the squad separated into groups of two and jumped down into the hazy city. Seig and Kise partnered up and began to patrol around a street. However, as Kise had pointed out, it was impossible to see.

"You'd think this area would have less haze," Kise said.

"I get what you mean, but the firing has become so routine that some operators were going through the motions even if they didn't have ammunition," Seig replied.

"How do you know that?"

"I didn't sleep last night," Seig said.

Kise cringed at how calmly he said that. He could not imagine not getting at least a few hours of sleep after what they went through.

They continued to walk through the haze filled street. Kise had said that they were too exposed on the street, but Seig argued that being on the rooftops would bring more harm as they would not be able to see if houses were damaged.

"Man, the relative silence makes this a lot more creepy than it need to be," Kise mumbled.

Seig was inclined to agree, as the only thing that could be heard was the sound of cannons firing; and even those seemed far away. The sound of wood snapping caused the two to jump in fright. The foreign sound seemed to echo in the empty street. They looked at each other and nodded, deciding to continue forwards.

"Why does it feel like this street never ends?" Seig asked.

" 'Cause the haze," Kise answered.

Seig rolled his eyes. "It was a rhetorical question."

As the two neared an opening in the street, the saw black spots ahead of them. The two stopped moving and inched closer towards them. When they got closer, they were horrified to see the rotting of bodies. None of them seemed fresh as the blood that pooled around them was mostly dry, and how they had begun to slowly decay.

Kise wanted to throw up. He had always expected there to be a lot of carnage from the previous day, but not to this extent. He kneeled down next to a relatively intact corpse, it was only missing a leg, and turned it over. He could see the deathly expression of fear that had remained. Even their eyes were still wide with shock. Kise let out a breath and closed the person's eyes, at least giving them the courtesy of that.

"Hey, there's nothing we can do for them right now," Seig said.

"I know that, but the least I can do is close their eyes," Kise replied.

"The fact that there are so man bodies means we're near the gate. We just can't see it 'cause of the haze. We should double back and rendezvous with the others," Seig said. "Plus if we didn't run into titans, it's possible they didn't either."

"That would be nice," Kise replied as he stood up.

Kise turned back to the street of corpses and mumbled an apology before following Seig.

The two returned to the street they had just exited and began to search for their squad. The silent haze continued to play with their vision and hearing, as they could not truly tell in which direction they were going.

However, the two came to a grinding halt as the sound of a crumbling house echoed through the street. The two stood back to back, eyes darting in every direction. Seig faced the direction that had come from and Kise faced the opposite. The two could feel the sweat pooling around them, as they had no idea what had caused that sound. From within the haze, they could heard the clapping of footsteps followed by louder ones. Kise and Seig readied their blades, still unsure from which direction the footsteps were coming from. Then, a black stop began to form in haze and from it emerged a panicked soldier. He ran towards them, clearly out of breath. Seig turned around and readied himself for what might come next, but what did scared them.

Before the soldier could scream out to them, a giant hand emerged from the haze and grabbed the soldier; pulling them back into the haze. Then, the silence resumed. Kise and Seig, were frozen in place. They could not move an inch as they were paralyzed with fear. The two could feel the sweat drip down and pool up in their hands. Never had Kise felt so afraid.

The silence stopped as a soft, bumping sound moved closer towards them. From the haze emerged some kind of sphere, leaving a trail behind it. The sphere came to a stop a few feet in front of the two. They both took a step forwards to see what it was, and were horrified to see. In front of them was the head of the soldier that had just been grabbed.

"Okay, I'm definitely going to throw up now," Kise said bringing his hand to his mouth.

Sieg shut his eyes and turned away, unable to keep looking at the severed head. Before the two could center their focus again, the sound of another building falling echoed and it was close to them. The two looked to the side to see an, about, eight meter titan staring them down. From its mouth hung the motionless legs of another solider. Its mouth then dropped open, with the deceased soldier falling out, and lunged towards the two.

Seig was the first to react and grabbed Kise, managing to dodge the titan's grasp. The titan turned its head towards them still intent on capturing its next meal. Kise managed to real in his bearings and focus on the problem at hand. The titan slowly stoop up straight, keeping its eyes on the two.

"That thing must've gotten the drop on the others. We got to kill it right now," Seig said tightening his grip on his blades.

"Right," Kise replied.

"We need to keep it from hiding in the haze," Seig said.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem," Kise replied as the titan took a step forwards.

"We'll take it down in one shot. You go for the legs and I'll finish it off," Seig ordered.

Kise nodded in response and leapt into action. He sprinted towards the titan and as it reached out to grab him he launched his cables to the house next to him, avoiding its sweeping grasp. Kise clung to the wall of the house and watched as the titan turned its attention towards him; clearly annoyed that it was unable to grab him a second time.

 _Now I know why Seig sent me in as the distraction._

Kise then launched himself towards the titan, but as he moved to slice its tendon, the titan lifted its foot; intent on squashing him. Kise's eyes widened in surprise at he saw. No way a titan would react like that, it was as if it was trying to step on a roach.

"Ryouta!" Seig yelled.

Kise looked up to see Seig dive bombing the titan from above. However, the titan was still intent on squashing Kise. Seig the pulled his arms back and slashed at the titans eyes, causing it to stagger. The titan seemed to groan in pain as its falling foot narrowly avoided stomping on Kise.

"Finish it!"

Kise nodded and quickly, using his gear climbed as high as he could. He then turned around and latched his cables on the titans back and sped towards it. Kise pulled back his arms and slashed its nape. However, the titan did not seem to be affected.

"Dammit! My cut wasn't deep enough!"

"I'll finish 'em," Seig said.

Seig scaled a house, and, using the titan as a tower, launched himself into the air; higher than Kise went. He then turned in the air and latched his cables onto the titans back and slashed its nape, this time, killing it.

The titan fell on its knees then to the ground with a loud crash. Seig landed next to Kise, panting at the exertion he had to use to take down the titan. He then turned to Kise and swatted the back of his head.

"What was that for?" Kise asked as he put a hand behind his head.

"For not taking it down. You're lucky that I had taken out the eyes before hand or you would've been dead, twice," Seig answered.

"My angle was too low. It would've killed it in any other situation," Kise argued.

Seig rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Come on, we gotta see if anyone's still alive."

—-

Kagami tried to block out the sound of the cannons firing, the shuffling of boots, and the metallic clanging of maneuver gear, but by the time the sunlight hit his corner of the store house, he was awake. Kagami groaned as he sat up. Wincing slightly at the pain in his hands. He held them up to see that the bandages were stained yet again. However, this time it was only around the knuckles. He took that as a sign that his hands were slowly healing. Despite that, he was going to have to rewrap them.

Kagami stood up from the corner he slept in and picked up his crumpled and dirtied cadet jacket. He flattened out the jacket and put it over his shoulder. He let out a yawn and walked out of the store house. When exited out the door, he saw soldiers hustling about towards their assigned jobs. Garrison soldiers were either assisting the Scouts or preparing to man the cannons. The Scouts were gearing up to kill any stragglers, while any MP's present rummaged about trying to avoid doing anything too strenuous. Kagami rolled his eyes at that.

 _And people want to join those fools._

"Here," a voice said.

Kagami looked up to see Josh walking up to him and holding something in his hand. He nodded and grabbed what he was holding, which turned out to be a piece of bread.

"You slept through breakfast. Thought it was best not to wake you, since you're banned from active duty as well," Josh said with a hint of a smile.

"Thanks. I appreciate it," Kagami said as he took a bite from the bread. It was a bit stale, but that was something he was used due to his time living on the streets.

After finishing the piece of bread, he looked back up to Josh, who had his gaze fixed on the wall. His expression was obvious to him, he was worried about something. He was probably worried about some the cadets that appeared to be missing.

"Where are the others?"

"Some got sent back into Trost to assist in taking out stragglers. They left a few hours ago," Josh answered.

"Surprised you didn't try to go with them. I'm assuming your friends were chosen for the assignment, and you're almost never apart from them," Kagami said.

Josh nodded. "I wanted to, but they wanted me to stay as I wasn't fully healed from the beating I took yesterday."

"Gotta say, I agree with them."

Kagami's sentence ended with a chuckle, which managed to get one out of Josh as well. Kagami turned to the wall as well, and it felt like it radiated cold. He shivered at the feeling. He looked towards the top of it and seemed to see someone standing at the top. He was unsure as to who it was, but they seemed to be without gear. The person then seemed to disappear with a gust of cold wind.

"What's wrong?" Josh asked turning to the red head.

"Not sure, but I thought I saw someone at the top of the wall," Kagami answered, his gaze still fixed at the top.

Josh shifted his gaze to the top of the wall, but did not see anything. He rose an eyebrow in confusion. "Are you sure? I don't see anything."

"Must be my mind playing tricks on me," Kagami said as he placed a hand on his forehead. "It couldn't have been him."

Josh turned to the red head, unsure what his words were as they came out as a murmur.

"Anyways, I got to get my hands rebandaged. I'll see you later," Kagami said.

"Yeah sure. Maybe by the time you get back, there others will be here as well," Josh replied.

Kagami waved goodbye as he walked away from Josh, but before he could get very far, Josh called out to him.

"Actually, there one thing I gotta ask you."

Kagami nodded in response. "What's up?"

"Last night, Annie seemed kinda spooked by something you said. When I asked her about it she said it was nothing."

Kagami let out a sigh and placed a hand behind his head. "You should've seen the look she gave me. Talk about eyes turning into daggers."

Josh did not say anything in response. He simply continued to stare at Kagami, still wanting an answer to what he said.

Kagami let out another sigh and let his hand drop to his side. "I just said she looked she was hiding something. Not just her, but others as well. She didn't take to kindly to what I said though. But, hey, we all hide things. It's up to the person to reveal that."

"How could you tell she was hiding something?"

"I'm observant. I pick things up and commit them to memory. What is she hiding? I can't say that I know," Kagami said as he shrugged and shook his head.

"What about you? Do you have nothing to hide?" Josh asked, his gaze narrowing.

"Not really. Most people know who I am. Well, the more general stuff, but I have nothing to hide," Kagami replied.

"Just don't rile anyone up with your observations," Josh advised.

"Don't worry, I won't. Now I really have to get to the medic."

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry for keeping you."

"Let's pick this chat up another time," Kagami said as he turned around.

As Josh walked away, it slowly dawned on him that he had had a full conversation with Kagami that did not just end with him not talking. Josh smiled at the accomplishment. Despite Kagami's protests, they were slowly becoming closer friends.

As Kagami walked towards the medical tent, the cannons had stopped firing. The sound had become so routine that the sudden absence of it felt off. Kagami looked up to the wall and saw a small group of soldiers descending down it. When they reached the ground, Kagami recognized them as fellow 104th members: Reiner, Bertolt, Jean, Connie, and Sasha. The five made eye contact with Kagami who waved towards them. Connie and Sasha waved excitedly, while the other three were more subdued. The five walked towards him and recognized the direction he was going.

"Off to get bandaged again?" Bertolt asked.

Kagami nodded.

"What exactly did you do to them?" Jean asked.

"I punched a wall. Repeatedly," Kagami answered.

Reiner let out a breath. "That would cause come damage."

"How was it out there?" Kagami asked.

"Relatively tame. The Scouts took care of most of the stragglers. We only encountered three titans," Connie answered.

"That's good, hopefully the others were as lucky as you," Kagami said.

"It was hard to see though," Sasha added.

Kagami rose an eyebrow. "How so?"

"All the smoke from the cannons and the dust they kicked up, along with titan steam caused the whole city to be blanketed by haze. The walls would keep it in and not allow it to dissipate at a faster rate," Reiner explained.

Kagami nodded. "Makes sense to me. It'll probably be thicker around the cannons then."

"Probably," Bertolt said with a shrug.

"Well, see you guys," Kagami said turning away.

Kagami continued his walk towards the medic tent, which was a lot farther than he remembered it being. As he walked, the concentration of Scouts became larger. He had likely walked into the Scouts staging area rather than where the medic tent was. As he looked around the the Scouts that were assembled, none of them seemed to be any of the higher ranked ones. Then again, the only ones he knew of were Commander Erwin, Captain Levi, and the one Oriental soldier. He had always heard that the Scouts were an odd bunch, but so far they seemed pretty normal to him. His walk came up to an abrupt stop when he bumped into someone.

"Sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going," Kagami said. However, there seemed to be no one in front of them. Kagami placed a hand behind his head, unsure of what was going on.

"You needn't apologize. I should've been paying more attention as well," a monotone voice responded.

"Huh? Who said that?" Kagami asked as his eyes darted around the area.

"I'm right in front of you," the voice said with a hint of irritation.

Kagami blinked and saw that a Scout had seemingly materialized in front of him. He jumped back and let out a frightened yell. Some of the Scouts around them began to laugh and snicker, much to the annoyance of the former. The Scout merely groaned.

Kagami got a good look at the Scout. He was definitely male and shorter than him. He had dark brown hair with a streak of light blue on the left side of his head, paired with similar colored eyes. He wore the Scout cloak over his uniform. However, his most defining feature was that he was Oriental, just like him. The Scout seemed to recognize this as his eyes widened.

"You're like me," they said at the same time.

"Sorry. It's just I haven't seen too many like us. In person at least," Kagami said quickly.

The Scout simply smiled. "I see, so you've heard of me and the others."

Kagami nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm-" "Tetsu!" a feminine voice cried out.

The Scout, Tetsu was likely a nickname, turned around and Kagami looked up. What he saw caused for his eyes to almost pop out of their sockets and his heart began to race. The Scout that had called out to him was a female, with short, light brown hair with a streak of pink.

S _he's even cuter than Christa_ , Kagami thought.

"The commander is looking for you," the female Scout said. "Huh? Who's this?"

"Oh, uh, my name is Taiga Kagami. I'm a member of the 104th cadet corps," Kagami said, saluting.

"Well it's nice to meet you. I'm Satsuki Momoi. It's not often you find another like us," Momoi said with a smile.

The sight of here smile caused for Kagami to blush heavily and his heart to race even faster. This had never happed to him with Christa.

 _Wait a minute,_ Kagami thought as his processed what had just crossed his mind.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself," the male Scout said.

Kagami turned his attention away from what he was thinking and gave it to the male Scout.

"I'm Tetsuya Kuroko. Pleasure to meet you, Kagami-kun," Kuroko said.

Kagami rose an eyebrow. Kuroko had addressed him in a way that felt weird to him. "Not to be rude, but what did you call me?"

"Oh, did I offend you in any way? It wasn't my intention to," Kuroko said.

"No, no, no. It's just, I've never been called that before. By my last name and whatever it is you added at the end," Kagami replied.

"Interesting. I'll keep that in mind. Until next time," Kuroko said turning away from Kagami.

"Wait. Do you know where the medic is? I wandered around and kinda lost my way," Kagami said.

"The Scouts have their own medic. I can take you to her if you'd like," Momoi replied.

"I'd appreciate that, thanks."

"Follow me then," Momoi said with a smile.

Kagami nodded and followed the female Scout.

"I cannot accompany you. I must meet with the Commander, but it was a pleasure, Kagami-kun," Kuroko said as he began to walk away.

"What a weird guy," Kagami muttered.

Momoi giggled at the comment. "Yeah, but everyone in the Scouts is weird."

Kagami did not respond and simply followed Momoi.

Momoi led Kagami to a small area filled with boxes of supplies where two Scouts were over seeing. One was an older woman, with years of experience that Kagami could plainly see, and the other was a younger man. Momoi spoke to the older woman, clearly about him as she had pointed to him. The older woman nodded and turned to the younger man and dismissed him, leaving only them three. Momoi then excused herself and left the two alone.

The Scout introduced herself as Iryna Shevchenko and was the resident medic of the Scouts. She cupped Kagami's hands a got a good look at them. She commented on how beaten they must be since his knuckles were still soaked in blood. Iryna carefully removed the dirty bandages and got a good look at Kagami's hands. She commented on how he likely went into battle with his injured hands and Kagami did not deny it. The woman smiled softly. Kagami could tell she understood why he jumped into battle with such a fresh wound.

Iryna turned away from Kagami and rummaged through a box labeled first aid. It was too big to be a first aid kit, so it likely carried a lot more than the basics. Iryna then pulled out a jar of something and a roll of bandages. She opened the jar and placed two fingers in it, scooping out some type of gel.

"What is that?" Kagami asked.

"Don't worry. It'll help in the healing process. But it will sting a bit when I apply it," Irnya said softly.

The woman gently rubbed the gel on Kagami's bloodied knuckles and she was not kidding when she said it would sting. His hands felt more pain in this moment than they did when he was punching the wall.

"Done," she said when she finished wrapping the bandages.

Kagami looked down at his hands to see the bandages neatly wrapped around them. No one had wrapped them so well before, and his knuckles had yet to stain the bandage.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it. I think my hands'll heal up in no time," Kagami said.

"Don't worry about it. If you end up joining the Scouts, come by to get them rebandaged. That should last a few days, a week a most, before you need to change them. Just don't do anything too strenuous," Iryna advised.

"Thank you," Kagami said with a slight bow. "I should head back. They'll likely do a head count soon."

"Take care."

Kagami nodded in thanks and began to walk. He tried to close his hands into fists, but they still stung. However, his hands felt better than they ever did. The thought of that made a smile come to his face, but it was quickly replaced with worry as he heard someone screaming. Kagami picked up his pace to see what was going on. When he arrived to the commotion, he saw Josh screaming at the top of his lungs, with Ymir dragging him backwards. He looked around trying to see what was going on, when he spotted Christa, Aline, and some girl he did not recognize all crying.

"Hey, what's going on?" Kagami asked Jean.

"Those guys just came back. Looks like they ran into an abnormal. Aline broke her leg and Jansen didn't make it," Jean's final words came out slowly as if he was still having trouble believing it.

Kagami looked up to see Albrecht carrying someone. Kagami got a closer look and saw Jansen. His legs were missing and he was not breathing. Kagami could not help but feel sadness at the sight. He may of thought Jansen to be one of the obnoxious people he ever met, but seeing him dead really hurt.

—-

As the sun began to set, the battle at Trost had been declared a victory. However, the amount of casualties could not be ignored. Within the final struggle, the Scouts were able to capture two titans in order to study them and see what information they could extract from them. Despite the amount of good that was done at Trost, all the bad could not ignored.

Kagami walked down the main road, his head on a swivel. Everyone was trying their best to cope with cost of victory. Many seemed woefully unprepared for it. He made his way to the medical tent, the actual one this time, and saw a small group huddled by the entrance. He peered through an opening to see Josh sitting by Jansen's body, motionless. The cadets murmured stuff between them, words that Kagami did not care for. He made his way to the front of the group and got clearer view of Josh. Sadness was written all over his face. A sadness that Kagami knew too well. He took a step forwards, but a hand reached out to stop him; it was Reiner.

"Are you sure you want to try too?" Reiner asked.

Kagami shrugged his hand off. "He only has to listen."

Kagami turned away from the blonde and walked towards a sullen Josh. He stood in front of him, but did not acknowledge his presence. Kagami scanned around the room, he saw an untouched plate of food on a box behind Josh and a few medical supplied scattered about. Kagami let out a breath and sat on a box.

"You don't have to talk. Just listen," Kagami said.

His eyes darted to Josh, but he made no indication that he had heard what he said.

"What you're feeling right now, I went through it. On the battlefield. The final image I have of my brother is as a corpse." Kagami clutched the necklace he wore and took in a breath. "That anger, sadness, regret, all that you're feeling in still inside me. I had to got through it twice. Eight years ago and yesterday. You asked me a while back why I wanted to die. The reason is because of that pain of loss. The reason I don't get close to anyone is to not feel that. However, you and I are different in that regard. Which is what I admire about you. I'm determined to die, but you're determined to live."

Kagami paused, hopefully, allowing that Josh was processing his words. He took in another breath and released.

"However, that pain will never leave you. It'll be there tomorrow and it'll still be there in five years. It's up to you on how that pain will define you and how you move forward."

Kagami let go of his necklace and slowly stood up. He gave one last look at Josh before turning away.

"Does it really never go away?" Josh asked. His voice hoarse and coming out as a murmur only Kagami could hear.

"Who knows? It's never left me and I've been living with it since I was born," Kagami said with a shrug.

Kagami walked towards the tent's exit and gave one last look over his shoulder. He nodded to himself and walked out of the tent. When he did, the group of cadets had increased and were all staring at him.

"Did he say anything?" Connie asked.

Kagami shrugged. "Dunno. I just hope he was listening."

Kagami moved past the others and walked away. There was another person he needed to find. He walked to the outskirts of the town, and found the house where he had punched the wall. He took in a deep breath and walked in. He looked to the side to see that the wall was still red with his blood, however, it had dried since. He walked farther in, the sound of wood creaking with his boots. Soon after there was the sound of sniffling.

He looked around the corner to see Christa sitting against a wall with face buried in her legs and her arms wrapped around them. It was obvious she came here to cry by herself. Kagami let out a breath and slowly moved towards her. He rested against the wall and slowly slid down next to her. She acknowledged his presence by gazing at him out of her corner of her eye.

"You know, I'm surprised Ymir isn't here, comforting you," Kagami said.

Christa sniffled. "I told her not to follow me. Plus, she doesn't know this place."

"So, you wanted me to find you?" Kagami asked.

"Not really. This was the only place I could think of where no one would find me." Her voice was bit muffled as he face was pressed against her legs.

"I see."

"Did you talk to Kassy?"

Kagami shrugged. "Tried to. Though, I think he listened to what I had to say."

"That's good. He needs a friend right now. Even Annie wasn't able to get him to talk."

"It's that bad, huh."

Christa nodded.

"You know, when I lost my brother, I felt the same way Josh did. The worst part about it was that I lost him twice. The pain he feels, I still feel it. It's almost as if a part of you left with the one who died," Kagami said.

He looked towards Christa, who remained silent.

"You and Jansen were pretty close, so you're going through a similar grief like the other three. That grief will never leave. It will always be a part of you. It's up to you on how you use it."

Christa remained silent. Kagami let out a satisfied sigh and began to stand up. As he did so, Christa grabbed his jacket sleeve to stop him. Kagami looked down to see her facing him, her eyes a bit swollen from the crying and cheeks lined with tears.

"Stay. Just for a bit."

Kagami nodded and slid back down.

"Sure, but I'm not sure I'm a comfortable shoulder to lean on," Kagami replied.

Christa lightly laughed as she moved her head to rest it on Kagami's shoulder.

"It'll do."

 **AN: And with that, this chapter comes to an end. Sorry for taking so long, but I wanted to make this chapter as good as possible. I should mention that the idea for this chapter comes from Legion117's story Winds of Promise, check it out if you have the time as some of the OC's present are from that story. With this chapter, all of the GoM's have reunited and some aren't on the best of terms. Don't worry, I'll be delving into their relationships as the story continues. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one! Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you're enjoying and follow me on Twitter for story updates and other things.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

What Comes Next

Kuroko watched as the gate into Trost slowly began to open. Since the previous day, the smoke and steam that blanketed the city had dissipated. However, as the gate began to open, what was left slowly began to exit the city. He let out a breath and turned away from the wall. It had been a roughly 48 hours since the attack on Trost and even though humanity had won the fight, the losses were exceedingly high.

He walked through the Scouts' staging area and watched as some were beginning to mobilize to assist in the clean up of the city. It was more of a clean up of the dead so they could be cremated. The thought did not sit well with Kuroko. He was taught that the dead should be respected and given a proper burial; at least, that was how his family buried his grandmother.

When he made it to the commander's tent, he made his presence known. "Captain Testuya Kuroko reporting.

Commander Erwin looked up from the papers his was holding and acknowledged him with a nod. In the tent were Levi, Hange, and Mike as well. It appeared he had arrived late to the meeting.

"Glad you could join us, Tetsuya," Erwin said.

Kuroko nodded. "I'm sorry I was late."

"And here I thought you were the most punctual," Levi said.

Kuroko rolled his eyes and did not respond. He then turned to Hange who was looking over some papers in their hand.

"I heard you managed to capture some titans," Kuroko said.

Hange looked up from their papers and smiled gleefully. "Indeed we did. Going to start my experiments soon. Care to join?"

Before Kuroko could say anything, the sound of the commander clearing his throat brought all attention to him.

"Perhaps another time, Hange. I need him for a separate assignment."

"Oh, darn," Hange said, crossing their arms, "next time then."

Kuroko let out a light chuckle. When it passed, he faced the commander with a more serious expression. "What do you need me to do sir?"

"I want you to go ahead of us to Stohess," Erwin said.

"Stohess, sir? What would you need me to do?"

"I need you to get us some time with Jaeger. I'm sure he might have answers to some of the questions we all have," Erwin explained.

He was right. If they could get any information out of Eren and his transformation abilities, it would greatly help in solving the mystery of the Colassal and Armored Titans.

"Understood. However, when will you arrive in Stohess?"

"We'll head out later today. There's some last minute things that need my attention."

Kuroko nodded. "Understood. I'll mobilize Connor and Satsuki and we'll head out immediately."

Kuroko then turned on his heel, but before leaving he turned towards everyone present once more.

"There's something I wanted to say in regards to titan research," Kuroko said.

Everyone present turned towards him, waiting for what he would say.

"I believe that the Armored and Colossal Titans are like Eren; humans that can turn into titans."

Everyone was silent for a moment. They processed Kuroko's information and it seemed they were coming to similar conclusions that he had.

"Yes, we assumed as much," Hange replied.

"It's the only logical explanation as to why we've never seen them in the last five years. Barring two days ago," Kuroko added.

"I see," Erwin said as his gaze fell to the papers in front of him.

"It's safe to assume that they seem to be waiting or looking for something," Kuroko said.

"Eren, most likely," Hange replied.

Kuroko nodded. "We can continue speaking about this later. I'll head out to Stohess." Kuroko turned and exited the tent.

Those who remained in the tent, watched as he exited. They all could notice Kuroko's sour mood.

"Is it just me, or does is he in a bad mood," Mike said, vocalizing everyone's thoughts.

Hange nodded in agreement. "He's been that way since we arrived at Trost. I thought if he helped me it would brighten up his mood."

"It's probably got to do with the others," Levi said.

"Others?" Mike asked turning to the short-statured captain.

"He doesn't have the best relationship with one of his former cadets," Erwin answered. "I think it was the Akashi boy. Seijūrō is his first name I believe."

"He placed first in Tetsuya's cadet class, right?" Hange asked.

Erwin nodded. "He did, but there's more to him than that. He's the son of a noble and an influential one."

Levi clicked his tongue in disgust.

"I understand the sentiment Levi, and I think Tetsuya is of the same mindset."

When Kuroko found Momoi and Connor the three prepared their horses for the ride to Stohess. It would take them a couple of hours to get there, even on horseback, so they wanted to be prepared for the ride.

As Kuroko made sure the saddle to his horse was secure, the horse nudged his head. Kuroko laughed at the gesture and gently pushed the horse's nose away. When the saddle was secure, he pet the horse's snout.

"That's a good girl," Kuroko said softly.

"All ready to go?" Connor asked.

Kuroko hopped onto the horses back and grabbed the reins. "Now I am."

Connor nodded and followed Kuroko by getting on his horse too. Momoi, on her horse, walked up to the two.

"We should start our trek."

The two boys nodded. The three turned their horses in the direction of Stohess and compelled their horses to move forwards. Kuroko turned back as the town behind the gate began to get smaller and smaller, before turning back to face forwards. As they rode, a thought crossed his mind, since the Scouts had arrived, he hadn't seen any of the others.

"Oi, Momoi-san," Kuroko called out.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Did the others leave Trost already?"

"Aomine-kun and Midorin left with Akashi-kun. I think they left yesterday morning. Ki-chan and Mukkun are still in Trost as they are going to be deployed today. No doubt Akashi-kun is going to have them come to Stohess if there is a tribunal to decide Eren's fate," Momoi explained.

"I see," Kuroko said quietly.

For Connor, it was difficult for him to understand when the two spoke to each other in their native tongue. Even if they had been a team for five years, he could still only pick up bits and pieces. However, he could read their gestures, so he knew that Akashi was a sour spot for Kuroko.

"Not be a downer, but what if Seijūrō becomes an enemy?" Connor asked.

"We may always be at odds, but he still has humanity's survival as his main priority. I don't think he would do anything that could make him an enemy," Kuroko answered.

Connor nodded. He was satisfied by that answer, but he could see that Kuroko seemed to doubt the answer he gave. Kuroko has never gone into too much detail why he and Akashi did not like each other. Whenever Connor would ask about it, he would always answer vaguely. Truth be told, Connor knew why he kept it to himself. Deep down, Kuroko did not want to make an enemy out of someone he considers a friend.

The three continued to ride in silence until they reached Stohess.

—

That same morning, Kagami awoke to the hoofbeats of horses and the sun peeking through the open window. Kagami slowly opened his eyes as they adjusted to the sunlight, silently wishing that it was cloudy. As he tried to stand and stretch out his arms, his legs felt heavy and difficult to move. He assumed they were still asleep, but as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight a blurry figure came into focus. When his eyes adjusted, he noticed someone was sleeping on his legs. They had their back to him, so all he could see were that they had long blonde hair and were short statured. Kagami rose an eyebrow, unsure as to who it was. However, as the person groaned and slightly turned their head, Kagami realized who it was.

His faced immediately turned bright red at the sight of Christa asleep on his legs. His mind was running a mile a minute. He then remembered why he was with her.

 _Crap, we must've fallen asleep yesterday._

Kagami turned away from Christa, not wanting her to see his embarrassed look when she woke up.

 _This is super embarrassing. I'm glad no one's here to see this._

Christa slowly began to groan as she started to wake up. Kagami could feel the weight on his legs begin to lessen as she sat up. She yawned and began to rub her eyes, also adjusting to the sunlight. Her tired vision could make out Kagami in front of her.

"Morning, Taiga," she said with a yawn.

"Y-Y-Yeah. Good morning," Kagami said, turning away from her.

As Christa's eyes began to adjust, she could see him and where they were. When she put everything together, her face turned bright red as well and she moved her gaze to the floor.

"I'm so sorry Taiga. I didn't think we'd fall asleep."

"Honestly, neither did I."

"We should probably be getting back. No doubt they'll be roll call before today's assignment," Christa said as she began to stand.

"You're right about that," Kagami replied as he began to stand up as well.

The two walked towards the main area in silence. The two kept their eyes focused on the ground. Kagami's head shot up when he realized that people would ask too many questions if they were seen together.

"Hey, Christa," Kagami began to said.

"Yeah?" She replied, still facing the ground.

Kagami nervously placed a hand behind his neck and began to rub it. "We might need to come up with an excuse as to why we're walking together."

"Why?" She asked as she looked up to face him.

Kagami could feel the sincerity in her voice. She genuinely did not know why they needed to come up with an excuse.

"People will come up with reason of their own why and embarrassing ones at that," Kagami explained. "Plus, I don't want Ymir to kill me."

He made sure that the last thing he said was a whisper.

"What kind of excuse did you have in mind?"

"I was coming back from meeting with the medic from the Scouts, and ran into you on the way back. That's what we'll run with," Kagami answered.

"I don't see why we can't just be honest," Christa said with a shrug.

"Trust me, it's better this way."

As the two reached where the other cadets were, they were immediately swarmed with questions of their whereabouts. Kagami and Christa used the excuse, but no one seemed to buy it. However, they accepted it and left it at that. During the whole questioning, Kagami could feel the daggers that Ymir was staring at him with and made sure not to make eye contact with her.

When Kagami managed to peel away from the group, he stood facing the open gate, watching as the smoke finished dissipating. He knew that the next mission was going to be cleaning up all the bodies. Even if the order was to give them proper send off, the real objective was so disease and other things would not spread within Trost. Kagami could not help but wonder what was the state of Tatsuya's body. The remembering of his friend and brother caused Kagami to feel a brunt of sadness.

 _Maybe I should take my own advice._

Kagami was broken from his thoughts, when the sound of footsteps got closer. He turned his head to see Jean walking towards him. His expression seemed to be one of distress, as if he was frantically trying to search for something.

"Hey, Taiga, you got a minute?"

Kagami nodded. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you've seen Marco around. It's weird I haven't seen him since Eren plugged the hole."

"Can't say that I have. He should be around though. I'd ask whoever was last with him during that mission," Kagami replied.

"That's the thing," Jean said with a sigh, "I can't find anyone who was."

Kagami noticed how great Jean's distress was about Marco's disappearance. Truth be told, Kagami had no idea he was missing. There were so many things happening all at once in the last two days that he never processed that some people were still missing.

Kagami let out a breath and placed a hand on Jean's shoulder. "I'm sure he'll turn up. He's a smart guy."

"Yeah, you probably right," Jean said with a hint of positivity.

 _Let's just hope he isn't among the bodies within the city._

 _—_

As the sun began to set, the cleaning of the bodies began. Kise, Seig and a few other Garrison soldiers made their was through a street, picking up bodies and body parts and putting them on cart. Kise could recognize a few people every so often. Those who had died with their eyes open, he gave the courtesy of closing their eyes. He sometimes added a short prayer that his parents taught him.

"What's that you keep saying?" Seig asked.

"It's sort of like a prayer. My parents taught it to me. We'd say it every night so my sisters could rest in peace," Kise explained.

"I didn't know you had siblings," Seig said as he put a body in the cart.

Kise nodded in response. "I did. My two sisters. They were considered the most beautiful in the Karanese district. One day though, when they were going to the market, they never came back."

"Do you know why?" Seig said slowly to not sound insensitive.

Kise shook his head. "We never found them. Their bodies were no where to be found in Karanese. We asked the Military Police there to help find them, but they never really did look for them. My family had a friend in the military so they asked him for assistance, but he could not find them. It took some years, but we gave up searching and assumed they had died."

Seig's gaze fell to the floor. "Sorry. It must've been rough."

"I enlisted not long after we accepted that they died. It was my way of coping with that they were gone," Kise said picking up a body.

"You were close?"

Kise nodded. "Yup. We were the only Orientals in Karanese, so we only had each other. We were blonde though, so sometimes we could pass as locals." Kise finished his sentence with a short chuckle.

"That was the last one on this street," Seig said. "Everyone, we're moving on the next street!"

There was a chorus of 'yes, sirs' before moving on to the next street. Kise took one look and he wanted to vomit again. The street was littered with corpses. Some were intact, others were just body parts all thrown about. Some suffered the unfortunate fate of being crushed by debris.

"Let's get started it!"

Another chorus of 'yes, sir' followed. Kise could not help but chuckle, Seig took the fact that he was the commanding officer in stride. Seig shot him a look, which only caused for him to chuckle a bit louder.

"Just get to work, Ryouta," Seig said.

"Yes, sir," Kise replied.

Seig rolled his eyes as he picked up a body.

Kise stood in front of a collapsed wall and from under the debris were legs.

 _Might as well start digging._

Kise began to shovel gravel and broken brick with hands to get the body free. However, when he could finally see the body's face, a chill went down his spine. He began to dig faster.

 _No, no, no, no. It can't be you._

When the debris was cleared, his eyes widened in horror and let out a sharp gasp. He could feel his knees begin to buckle under his weight. He did not want accept it. Did not want to accept that the person he was looking at was who he thought it was.

"Seig," Kise said, voice trembling.

"Did you find someone you recognize?" Seig asked as he put a body on the cart.

However, Kise did not answer. The fact that he did not answer worried Seig. He rose an eyebrow and walked towards Kise.

"What's got you so sp-" Seig could not finish his sentence and he collapsed to the floor on his knees.

"I-I-It can't be. It can't be," Seig said as tears began to form.

Kise shut his eyes and turned away from the body, unable to look at it.

"Excuse me, but do you recognize this person?" a medic asked.

"His name is Yuri Kaplan. Captain of squad 4 of the Garrison regiment," Seig answered.

"Thank you. Now please place him with the others. We don't have time to mourn," the medic said as they walked away.

"Dammit. Why did you have to go Yuri?" Seig said as he punched the ground.

"Where are the others? Where's Fred and Micheal?" Kise asked, his head darting in every direction.

"If Yuri's gone, they're likely gone too," Seig answered.

Kise looked up towards the sky. His hair covered his eyes, but tears rolled down his face. He had always respected Yuri, even more than the fact that he was his captain. Kise had come to consider his squad in the Garrison his friends. The fact he lost them hurt more than he could have ever imagined. The pain in his chest swelled, but something in his mind clicked. It was something that he should have done years ago.

"Hey, Seig."

Seig looked up and saw the serious expression that was on Kise's face. He knew what Kise would say next.

"I'm going to transfer to the Scouts," Kise said. "I can't just stand by and let people I care about get devoured. Maybe, if I was out there, Yuri and the others would still be alive. Five years ago, I shouldn't have let fear steer me away from them."

Kise turned to Seig the determination in his eyes blazed.

"Don't try to stop me, Seig."

"I won't," Seig said as he stood up. He turned his haze towards Yuri and let out a small, humorless chuckle. "Looks like I won the bet, Yuri, and none of you are alive to pay up. You bastards."

"Bet?"

"We had a bet to see when you'd transfer. Never thought I would win. Yuri thought you'd join after about a year," Seig said as he turned to face Kise. He placed a hand on his shoulder and looked the blonde in the eye. "Go. Honor Yuri and the others by fighting beyond the walls. Commander Erwin should still be at the Scouts' staging area."

Kise nodded. "I won't let you down." Kise turned to Yuri. "I won't let you down captain."

Kise turned and sprinted towards the the gate, taking off his surgical gloves and the other things he wore for picking up bodies. He could hear people yelling at him to get back to work, but he payed them no mind and continued to sprint. When he exited the gate, he turned towards the staging area. He slowed down his sprint as he got closer to Commander Erwin's tent. When he reached it, he took a moment to catch his breath and let his heartbeat slow down.

"Commander Erwin. Are you here?" Kise asked.

"Who is it?" a male voice responded.

"I'm Ryouta Kise. I wanted to speak with you."

There was a pause of silence. In the silence, Kise's sweat began to drop. He was nervous. Everything had happened so fast that his mind was just catching up.

"You can come in," the voice said.

Kise took a deep breath and released it before entering. When he did so, he could feel two intense stares. He looked up to see the Commander sitting at a makeshift desk and Captain Levi standing next to him. Kise saluted the commander and captain, not wanting to disrespect them. Commander Erwin put his hand up allowing for Kise to ease up a bit.

"What is it you wanted to speak to me about?" Erwin asked.

"And make it snappy, we were just about to leave," Levi added.

"No need for the threats Levi," Erwin said.

Kise swallowed saliva before speaking. Even when he had met both of these men a few days ago, right now he felt a lot more intimidated.

"The things is…" Kise paused. He wanted to make sure that he was making the right decision. Not just in his heart, but also his mind. He took in another breath and released it before continuing. "I want to transfer to the Scouts."

The two men looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Kise.

"May I ask why now?" Erwin asked.

"I should've joined five years ago, but what happened in Shiganshina scared me to the bone. Seeing it happen again made me feel like I could've prevented some casualties if I had joined the Scouts," Kise explained.

Erwin and Levi looked at each other again, not saying a word. It was as if they could speak to each other by only looking at each other.

"Well, you're in luck. We could use your transfer as leverage," Levi said.

"Leverage?"

"Indeed. I did not want to use that word, but Captain Levi is right. We need you as leverage for the military tribunal to decide Eren Jaeger's fate," Erwin explained.

Kise hand turned into a fist and he tightened his grip. No doubt Akashi was figuring out a way to get Eren on his side. He knew that was something that could not happen.

"Whatever it is you need me to do, I'll do it."

"Heh, I like this guy. Tetsuya was right about you," Levi said.

"Then we all head for Stohess immediately," Erwin ordered.

—-

When night fell, the bodies had been set ablaze. Three pyres were built and the bodies began to burn. They illuminated the square and many soldiers surrounded them, grieving the friends they had lost. Some watched the bodies burn with distaste. Many wanted to give the fallen a proper burial, or at least bury what was left, however, the hospital corps denied it; saying that burning them would keep disease from spreading.

Some of the surviving 104th stood around the pyres watching as many of their fallen comrades burned. The pain of their loss cast over all of those present, even those with hardened hearts could not help but grieve a bit. Most were silent, but within that silence many emotions were on display on their faces. Some stood close to the blaze, wanting to mourn at a closer distance, others were father away, but still illuminated by the flames.

Kagami stood by himself, leaning against a wall with his hands in his pockets. He took it all in, the emotions of everyone present and his own. He knew Tatsuya was among those being burned, and he could feel all his childhood memories with Tatsuya come rushing to him. The memories caused tears to begin to form, and he could not stop them from falling. In one of his pockets was the necklace that Tatsuya had, one that was exactly like his, their symbol of brotherhood. He clutched it tightly, holding on to his memories of Tatsuya before he had to left them go.

"Hey, guys, I have a question for you," Jean began to say.

Kagami looked up and saw that Jean had turned towards a cluster of cadets. He detached himself from the wall and walked towards the group.

"Have you decided yet? Decided on which regiment you're going to join? I've made my choice."

Kagami knew what he was going to say, but it seemed that Jean had not fully convinced himself about it yet. It was obvious that the idea was still creating a war in his brain.

"It's going to be rough, but… dammit, I'm joining the Scouts!"

Everyone seemed surprised with Jean's declaration, and Kagami was too to a certain extent, that no one said anything. The only sound was the cracking of the fire. However, Kagami knew that got people's heads turning. If Jean was going to join the Scouts, who else would? Kagami had already decided that he was going to join the Scouts as well, it would lead him to dying faster, but now he wondered how many would end up joining now.

Soon after, everyone began to disperse and head to the impromptu barracks that were created for the cadets. Kagami returned to the wall he was at before and leaned against it. He gazed into the fire once again. He saw that someone remained sitting in front of the fire. Kagami recognized the person as Josh. He was no doubt saying one last good bye to his friend. Kagami could not blame him, as he was doing something similar.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Annie watching Josh closely, worry written all over her face. To Kagami, that was an emotion she never displayed. Kagami let out a breath and detached himself from the wall. He put his hands in his pockets and walked towards Annie. As he got closer to her and cleared his throat to make his presence known. However, that proved to be a mistake as she grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled her arm back to punch him.

"Easy. It's just me," Kagami said, raising his hands defensively.

"What do you want?" Annie asked, ice in her tone.

 _I guess she's still mad at me,_ Kagami thought. "I just wanted to tell you something."

Annie hardened her gaze. Kagami was sure she was still mad at him.

"I'd appreciate if you'd let me go."

"Make whatever you have to say quick," Annie said as she let go of Kagami.

"Thanks," Kagami replied as he put a hand on his neck.

He took in a breath and released it before speaking, as he knew what he was about to say would anger the blonde.

"Whatever decision he has made, nothing you do will change it. Much less the others."

"What makes you say that?"

Kagami shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. "Just how he is as a person. Observation can get you pretty far."

"It can also get you killed."

Her tone was icier then before. Kagami knew he should not say anymore, but he had to say one last thing.

"Indeed it can. I almost died for being too observant. Anyways, that's all I wanted to say."

Kagami then turned on his heel and walked away from the blonde. Kagami gave one last look towards Josh, who seemed to be talking to himself. He wanted to wait, but knew it was best to leave him be. Kagami took on last look at the fire.

 _I'll see you, Tatsuya._

—-

Kuroko paced in front of the door to the dungeon. He had arrived the previous day to Stohess to be able to see Eren, but his request was denied because the commander was not with him. When the commander had arrived later in the day, they put in a request. Now Kuroko was waiting for the commander to arrive to meet with Eren. He had rumblings from some of the Military Police that Eren had started to wake up, and that security around him had become tighter. He did not have a doubt that Akashi was somehow involved. He knew that Akashi had some kind of plan to get custody of Eren, but what it was he had no idea.

The sound of footsteps caught his attention. He looked up to see Erwin and Levi walking towards him. With them were two members of the Military Police.

"You made it, Commander. I hope things worked out," Kuroko said.

Erwin nodded. "We've been given permission to see Eren, and they gave us this." Erwin held up a key with string attached to it, likely to worn as a necklace.

"What does it open?" Kuroko asked.

"According to Jaeger's friends, his father's cellar in Shiganshina," Erwin answered.

"I see," Kuroko said.

"We should get moving, we only have half an hour to speak to Eren," Levi said.

Erwin nodded. "You're right. Let's go."

The door to the dungeon was opened and the three were led down into its depths. The only light source was the torches that the two MPs held, but as the staircase finished, torches lined the wall. They were lead down empty cells until reaching the final one where Eren was being kept. Standing guard were two different Mp's armed with muskets. Kuroko got a look at Eren and saw that he was sitting up with his wrists chained to the ceiling. Kuroko winced at the sight. Even if the boy was a threat, holding him that way felt inhumane. Meanwhile, Eren began to stir awake.

Erwin grabbed a wooden chair and sat on it, while Kuroko stood at his side. Levi rested against the wall on Erwin's other side. Before the silence became too much to bear, Eren jumped awake and his eyes darted in every direction.

"Ah, you're awake. That's good. I was beginning to think you'd never wake up," Kuroko said.

Eren's eyes focused in front of him. His eyes darted around trying to find who spoke and his gaze landed on Erwin and Levi.

"Commander Erwin? Captain Levi? Where am I? Who said that?" Eren asked.

"Well, a dungeon. That much is obvious. You're in the custody of the Military Police. We were granted permission to see you only just now," Erwin answered.

"As to who spoke to you, it was me," Tetsuya added.

Eren's gaze shifted to where the voice came from and saw the Scout that had talked to him before leaving Trost. He let out a yelp at the fact that he had suddenly appeared.

"You're Ghost!"

Kuroko groaned at being called by his nickname, while Erwin chuckled. Meanwhile, Levi watched with indifference.

"I swear I'll kill Hange one day," Kuroko muttered. "My name is Tetsuya Kuroko. I'm a captain in the Scout Regiment. I'm assuming you know the other two."

Eren nodded.

"Good, then there's something I'd like to ask you," Erwin said. He then held up a key and Eren let out a surprised gasp.

"Where's you get that?"

"From you. Don't worry, you'll get it back. Let's talk home. Specifically the good doctor's cellar in Shiganshina. Pretty big secret in there right? About the titans?" Erwin asked.

Eren nodded. "Yeah. I think so. At least, that's what Dad said anyways."

"Must suck to have your dad and your memory missing at the same time. Unless, of course, that's just a cover story," Levi commented.

Kuroko rolled his eyes. Levi had always been a glass half empty kind of person, but he was sure Erwin had briefed him on the current situation. Surely enough, Erwin did chastise Levi a bit.

"We've been over this. We know he doesn't have a reason to lie." Erwin turned back to Eren. "And that's all we know. How about you help us by shedding some light on your intentions."

"My what? What do you mean?" Eren asked, his voice shaking a bit.

Kuroko could tell the boy was nervous. No doubt being questioned while chained did set the boy's mind at ease. Even with Erwin being as gentle as possible in his words, while still commanding the authority he deserves.

Erwin then went on the explain the current situation and his plan. Detailing how the mission was now to seal the breach in Shiganshina, while also finding out what was in Eren's cellar. He continued by adding that the Colossal and Armored Titans were similar to Eren, people who could change into titans.

Kuroko could see the disbelief in the boys eyes, but also the cogs that began to turn in his head. However, his expression was quickly taken over by fear.

"That's why I ask your intentions. They could be the key to turning the tide forever," Erwin said as he held up the key once again.

Eren's eyes shot to the ground. Kuroko could see that even he had no idea what was happening to him.

"I don't know what I am," Eren mumbled.

He remained silent as many thoughts were shooting around in his head.

"C'mon. It's an easy question. So answer it. What the hell is it you want to do?" Levi asked.

"Hey, Levi. Tone it down a peg. He's still a kid," Kuroko said.

"We need an answer, Tetsuya. But I do agree. We put a lot on the boy's shoulders. It's up to him if he's willing to carry it," Erwin argued.

Eren's breathing then became very ragged, causing the three Scouts to turn their attention to him. He then looked up to the three, a feral expression on his face.

"I want to become a member of the Scouts and slaughter every titan that crosses my path," Eren said, his voice feral.

The three were silent for a moment, taking in the boy's words. Kuroko could see the sincerity in his eyes; he truly wanted to kill every titan he came across.

"Huh. Well played," Levi said.

Kuroko and Erwin turned towards him and watched as he walked towards the cell doors.

"I'll take responsibility for him. Let the higher-ups know what's going on. Not that I entirely trust him, it's more a matter of trusting myself to deal with him. Kill him, if I have to. The big wigs aren't likely to reject it. My record more than speaks for itself, I would think." Levi said.

"Well then, Eren," Kuroko said. Eren's eyes darted to Kuroko. "Looks like you're officially a member of the Scouts."

"Hey, your time is almost up," said the disgruntled MP guard.

Erwin nodded and let out a breath. He stood up and gave one last look to Eren.

"Just hang on a little longer. We'll get all this sorted out," Erwin said.

"Hang tight," Kuroko said, Eren's eyes turning towards him, "we'll get you out of here in no time."

Eren gave a hesitant nod and watched as the three Scouts were escorted out, leaving him with the MPs again.

When the three exited the dungeon, they began to speak amongst themselves. Kuroko did not have a doubt that Erwin was already cooking up a plan in order to get custody of Eren and it would likely involve some half-truths. He was also sure that some part of the plan would be kept from even the highest ranking Scouts, likely to raise chances of success.

As they walked, Kuroko looked up to see a familiar head of red hair walking towards them. The person looked up revealing their heterochromatic eyes. The familiar red and yellow eyes belonged to Seijūrō Akashi. Kuroko gritted his teeth at the sight of him.

"Well, if it isn't Commander Erwin. This is quite the honor," Akashi said, his words laced with a hint of sarcasm.

"You're Seijūrō, right?" Erwin asked.

"Indeed I am. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"What do you want?" Kuroko said, anger interwoven in his tone.

"You met Eren Jaeger I presume. I'm surprised he woke up to talk, he's been unconscious since the battle of Trost ended."

"We did. I think I can understand him a bit better now," Erwin replied.

"Is that so. Well, I hope you can convince the higher-ups for him to join you. I'm sure others are itching to get their hands on him," Akashi said.

"We don't have time for you, noble. Get lost," Levi said.

"Right. Of course. My apologies Captain Levi," Akashi replied as he stepped to the side. "You all must be busy."

"Indeed we are," Erwin said. "Let's go."

The three continued to walk and Akashi watched them with clear disgust on his face. He hated the Commander of the Scouts. He was someone who even he could not control. If he waned his plan to work, Erwin would have to be eliminated. By the same token, Levi would have to as well. However, he had no doubt that Kuroko would see things his way once everything was said and done. After all, he had the other five in the palm of his hand.

"Damn, he's something else," Levi said with they were out of earshot.

Erwin nodded. "It was as if he tried to control us with his words."

"It's what he does. Make you feel inferior to him in every way possible," Kuroko explained.

"Does he really think that highly of himself just 'cause he has the highest scores on those cadet tests?" Levi asked.

Kuroko shook his head. "I don't think so. He never really cared for that. He would just say that him being on top is inevitable. He's finding his own way on climbing the ladder within the MPs."

"He's someone we should watch out for," Erwin said.

"I don't mind killing him if it comes to that," Levi added.

"I hope he just realizes that we're all working for the betterment of humanity," Kuroko said.

—

The next day, Eren's ability to transform into a titan was known by everyone within the walls. However, there were differing opinions on if he was beneficial to humanity's progress. Those behind Wall Sina were skeptical of the thought of a human turning into a titan. Many thought it was just a tall tale and that the recapturing of Trost had failed. They groaned at the thought of refugees being moved behind Wall Sina, and how things were just going to get worse.

Meanwhile, those behind Wall Rose, welcomed the idea of a human transforming into a titan. Many believed that humanity finally had a chance to actually fight back against the titans. The thought of maybe being able to reclaim Wall Maria brought joy to many.

With so many differing opinions, there was bound to be strife, something Nile Dok did not want. Nile tapped his foot as he muttered to himself how commoners were blowing things out of proportion. He wanted to quiet everyone down and the boy that could transform into a titan would be the way to do it.

"Now, now, Nile. The commoners are saying valid words," a voice said.

Nile turned to see Akashi walk up to him.

"Oh, so you're here, Seijūrō," Nile said, with a slight distaste in his tone.

"Well, I kind of have to be. I have to act as a witness for the operation to seal the wall," Akashi replied.

"Your report was good enough."

Akashi rose an eyebrow. "Then why do the other four have to be here?"

Nile did not say anything. He turned away from Akashi in order to hide his frustration. Nile knew Akashi was always cooking up some sort of plan. The thought of that scared Nile. Akashi already had an in with the royal council and now he was climbing the ranks of Military Police far too quickly. He was already in charge of an entire district: Stohess. All matters involving the Military Police went through him in the district.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

Before their conversation could continue, the sound of a carriage caused their attention to turn behind them. As the carriage came to a stop, Akashi and Nile straightened their postures. The carriage door opened and an older man with white hair and beard walked out of.

"All hail to the premier!"

All the soldiers saluted the older man, who was Dhalis Zachary, the commander of all the military regiments. The older man muttered something to himself before being escorted into the courthouse.

Within the courthouse, many were already gathered for the hearing. Many spectators sat behind the gated area, where the defendant would be placed. To one side stood the Scouts and a few Garrison soldiers, including Commander Pyxis. To the other side were the Military Police, high ranking merchants, and some from the Order of Walls.

Kuroko watched from above, as he was not part of Erwin's proposal. Granted, Erwin had not told him what his plan was in order to get approval of the proposal. He dismissed any doubt he had about Erwin's plan, as he trusted him wholeheartedly. To his side, stood Momoi and Conner, also watching from above. Kuroko's eyes scanned the floor and he quickly picked up on Murasakibara, who was the tallest in the room, standing next to Commander Pyxis. He did not have a doubt he was going to be used as a witness. When his gaze landed on the MP's side, he quickly spotted Akashi, and next to him were Aomine and Midorima.

Akashi turned to face Kuroko, with Kuroko hardening his gaze as they locked eyes. Akashi seemed unfazed and turned to Midorima and began to discuss something. Kuroko wondered where Kise was, no doubt he would have to be present as well. He finally found him, standing closer to the cluster of Scouts. In front of him stood Armin and Mikasa, Eren's friends. Kuroko had read the report of the battle and knew how Mikasa would be used. However, Armin was an unknown factor in his eyes.

The doors to the courtroom opened and everyone fell silent. In walked in a confused Eren Jaeger, who was ushered forwards with a gun pointed at his back. Now that he was the center of attention, people began to mutter. Kuroko could not pick up on anything from where he was, but knew it was not kind words. Eren was then order to his knees and a large pole was placed on the chain of the cuffs, locking him in place.

 _That seems a bit excessive, but I understand, I guess,_ Kuroko thought.

When another door opened, everyone went silent, and in walked in Dhalis Zachary. For Kuroko, this was the first time he ever saw the older man, who was in charge of every regiment. Despite being on the more portly side, he knew this was a man to be respected.

Zachary took off his coat and sat down on the main chair, as he was in charge of the proceedings.

"Shall we being," Zachary said as he cleared his throat. "Your name is Eren Jaeger, and as a solider you have sworn to give up your life when called to. For the good of the people, is that correct?"

"Yes," Eren answered.

"As an enlisted soldier in a time of war, military doctrine demands that your trial be treated as a court martial. As commander of our armed forces, this matter is left to my discretion. Therefore, I will decide whether you live or die," Zachary explained. "Any objections?"

"No, sir."

"Your astuteness is appreciated. Let's proceed."

As Zachary continued to talk, Hange and Mike walked into where Kuroko and his squad stood. They greeted each other with simple nods.

"Did he say anything while you two escorted them here?" Kuroko asked in a whisper.

Mike shook his head. "Hange was too busy with small talk."

Kuroko turned to Hange and gave her a deadpanned look. "Huh?"

"This were getting too tense for my liking, so I introduced us," Hange replied.

"Guys, you might want to cut the chatter," Conner said.

The three stopped talking and turned their attention back towards the floor, where Zachary was finishing his explanation.

"To begin, the Military Police will not begin their case."

"Thank you. My name is Nile Dok. I am Commander of the Military Police. Our recommendation, following our thorough examination of his physiology, subject Eren Jaeger should be disposed of immediately. We acknowledge that Eren's ability in assisting with turning back the latest titan incursion. However, as was stated, his existence is creating a swell of rebellious sentiment. For the greater good, after we have gathered all the information that we can from him, we would see him made a fallen warrior of humanity."

 _What a bunch of bullshit. You just want him gone. Calling him subject proves th-_

"Unacceptable!" a voice cried out.

Kuroko was broken from his thoughts at the screeching of the last person he wanted to speak. A priest from the Order of the Walls began to go on about how Eren's mere existence was defiling the walls. Kuroko rolled his eyes as the man spoke. He thought him and the order as a whole were just a bunch of lunatics that just screamed nonsense.

It took Zachary's intervention to stop the man from continuing on. He then turned to the Scout Regiment, asking them for their proposal.

"Yes, sir. As commander of the Survey Corps, I, Erwin Smith, propose the following: let Eren join our ranks. Reinstate him as a full member of the Scouts, and we utilize his titan ability to retake Wall Maria. That is all."

 _Straight to the point I see. Typical Erwin. Could've at least added in some fancy words,_ Kuroko thought.

As soon as Erwin finished the muttering began. It was obvious that not many wanted this decision to go through.

"Hm? Is that all?" Zachary asked.

"Yes. With his assistance, sir, I'm certain that we can reclaim Wall Maria. Ergo, I believe our top priority is perfectly clear," Erwin said, with a straight face. Never once did his expression change to show any sort of emotion.

"Quite bold. Assuming you were given clearance clearance, where do you plan to launch this operation from? Commander Pyxis, the gate at Trost had been completely sealed. Is that correct?" Zachary asked, turning to the Garrison commander.

"Yes. I doubt its gate will ever open again."

Erwin then explained his plan. By starting at Karanese District, the Scouts would make their way towards Shiganshina. Erwin explained how a new route would need to be charted regardless, and by leaving form Karanese, that could be done.

However, a merchant was quick to fire back saying that it would be a waste of money to do that. He suggested that the money spent on doing that was better spent on reenforcing the gates as it was the only part of the wall the Colossal Titan could destroy.

A Scout shot back, calling for the merchant to be quiet. While another said that with Eren's abilities it was possible to retake Wall Maria. The merchant fired back, but a response to him came from Levi this time.

"Squealing louder won't help your case, pig. While we're bolstering out defenses, do you think the titans are just gonna stand idly by? I'm pretty sure you mean when you say 'we can't afford,' do you speak for anyone other than your fat merchant friends? Do any of you pigs even realize that people are struggling to live off what little we have left?"

Kuroko could not help but chuckle. Levi knew the best ways to insult someone and how it would be hard for them to answer back. However, he could not dwell on it for too long, as the priest began to speak again, calling the merchant a heretic for trying to defile the walls. As the man spoke it was obvious that everyone present did not want to hear what he had to say. Kuroko could only groan and pinch the bridge of his nose. The merchant and the priest began to argue amongst each other and it was starting to get annoying.

However, they both stopped when the sound of a throat clearing was heard. The two men looked up to see Akashi raising his hand in order to speak. The were surprised gasps from the people present, not expecting Akashi to speak up.

"May I say something, Premier Zachary?"

Kuroko turned his attention to Akashi, wondering what the redhead had planned.

Zachary nodded. "You may."

"I would like to present a third option, if I may be so bold," Akashi said.

"Now, wait a minute Seijūrō," Nile began to say.

 _What are you up to, Akashi-kun?_

Zachary mused the thought before nodding. "You may."

"Thank you," Akashi said as he turned to everyone present. "I have a proposal that merges both proposals made. I'll take custody of Eren Jaeger and run the tests in order to uncover the true nature of his powers. At the same time, he may still serve as a soldier, but as a member of my Military Police unit. He'll be under close supervision, and his likelihood of dying will lower as he would not be venturing outside the walls."

Kuroko tightened the grip to his fist. He was frustrated that he could not predict that was what Akashi would do. Akashi wanted to custody of Eren in order to bolster his ranks. Kuroko knew he could not allow for Akashi to do that. He wanted to shout something towards the redhead, but a hand being placed on his shoulder stopped him. He looked back to see Momoi shaking her head no.

"No! That is defiantly not a good idea!" a voice said.

Everyone turned their attention to where the voice came from and saw a blonde, Garrison solider standing in front of the others. Akashi narrowed his gaze, wondering as to why Kise was speaking up.

"You want him so you can achieve your own goals. You don't care what happens to him as long as you get your way!" Kise said.

Akashi's gaze hardened as he stared at Kise. "You will be silent, Ryouta."

Kise could feel the cold the emanated form his voice. However, he remained undeterred.

"I don't take orders from you. You and I both know that Eren's abilities are better suited for the Scouts. If I have to join them to prove it you, I will do just that!"

Kuroko's eyes went wide and he let out a surprised gasp. He could not believe that Kise was standing up to Akashi and that he wanted to join the Scouts. Even from afar, Kuroko could tell that Kise meant those words. However, Akashi was not having it.

"You will do no such thing."

"Like I said, you don't give me orders," Kise said.

Before the two could continued, Zachary stopped their argument by calling for order. He then turned to Kise.

"Young man, save that for another time."

"Yes, sir."

"And Seijūrō."

"Yes, sir?" Akashi asked.

"I'll take your proposal into account during my final decision."

"Thank you," Akashi said with a slight bow, "that is all I ask."

Zachary cleared his throat and turned back to Eren. "Now then, Mister Jaeger, I have a question for you. As a soldier, you have made a pledge to answer humanity's call. Can you still serve by controlling your ability?"

"Yes! I will, sir!" Eren said. It was slight, but desperation was laced in his tone.

"Is that so? But this report from the Battle of Trost contradicts that statement. Just after transforming, you attacked cadet Mikasa Ackerman."

Eren's head shot towards Mikasa's direction, who tried to hide scar on her cheek by pulling on some strands of hair. She sent a glare in Aomine and Midorima's direction, who responded with their own glare.

 _That girl thinks I'm going to lie on that report, just 'cause they're buddies? She must be stupid,_ Midorima thought.

"And who is this Mikasa Ackerman?"

"That would be me sir," Mikasa answered, turning towards Zachary.

 _Don't lie, Mikasa. It'll make things worse,_ Kuroko thought. He had only met Mikasa the one time before leaving for the mission form Trost, but could feel the strong relationship she had with Eren.

"Right, then. Is it true that Eren Jaeger attacked you while in titan form?"

Mikasa went silent as she turned away from Zachary. It was evident she wanted to protect Eren. Before she spoke, Kise tugged on her sleeve.

"Whatever you say, I'll try to back you up. If you tell the truth that is," Kise whispered.

Mikasa nodded, took in a breath, and released it before speaking. "Yes, all of that is true."

The muttering and whispers began again. The merchant spoke out again, calling Eren a menace to humanity.

Kise could see the disbelief in Eren's eyes. It really did appear that he had no idea what was going during that time. Then, Mikasa began to speak again.

"However, he did save my life two times before while in titan from. The first: when Trost fell, I was nearly killed by a titan, but Eren came and saved me from it. The second time: he transformed to shield Armin and me from cannon fire."

"I can attest to the second case. I was present during that moment and he did indeed shield them," Kise added.

"Objection!" Nile called out. "I have reason to believe that personal feelings play a part in her testimony. Let the record show that Mikasa Ackerman was orphaned at a young age and was taken in by the Jaeger family. What's more, our own internal investigation into this matter led to quite the shocking discovery. Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman, at the age of nine, dealt with three adult kidnappers by stabbing them to death."

Shocked gasps were let out by many present. Kuroko meanwhile, gritted his teeth. He knew something like this would happen. As Nile continued to speak, many people were beginning to take his side. Kuroko could not help but sympathize a small amount. While the two had blood on their hands already, that was not a good enough reason, in his eyes, to discount Mikasa's words.

The same merchant from before began to call out Mikasa, on the possibility on being inhuman as well. The sentiment caught on, with another saying that she should be dissected as well. Eren was quick to come to her defense. Saying that she had nothing do with anything relating to him. He continued to argue until he reached his limit.

"Stop it!"

Eren's scream caused everyone to be quiet and stare at the boy.

"You're wrong. About everything. But you're so intent on pushing your selfish agendas, you're blind to what's in front of you," Eren said, his voice shaking.

"What're you talking about?" Nile asked.

"What does it even matter? None of you have even seen a titan, so why're you so afraid? There's no reason in having power if you're not going to use it to fight. If you're too scared to fight for your lives, fine. Let me do it! You're all cowards! Just shut up and put all your faith in me!"

Kuroko watched as steam seemed to emit from Eren, but it quickly disappeared. However, he was more impressed by his words. He had never seen anyone talk back to MP's like that before. He could not help but crack a smile. _This kid is definitely Survey Corps material._

Akashi let out a breath and crossed his arms. He knew how this was going to end. _No point in standing around anymore._

Before he turned to leave the sound of a boot kicking flesh resonated. Akashi turned around to see Levi beating on Eren. _What the hell is he doing? It's a bit excessive._

Mikasa tried to step in to stop Levi, but both Armin and Kise stopped her.

Levi continued to beat on Eren until he forced his head to the ground his the sole of his boot.

"Personally, nothing instills disciple like pain. You don't need a good 'talking to.' What you're in need of, boy, is to be taught a lesson. And you happen to be in perfect kicking position."

Levin then continued to beat on Eren. Kicking until his face swelled up and he bled from his nose. Kuroko could not help but wince. He had a vague idea of what Erwin's plan was, but Levi beating on Eren was not one of them. _Damn, this is rough to watch._

Meanwhile, Erwin looked on with indifference, as if the act did not phase him.

"Now hold on, Levi," Nile said.

"What is it?" Levi asked, turning to the commander.

"He's dangerous. What is he get's angry and turns into a titan?"

Levi turned back to Eren and kicked him again. "Don't be stupid. After all, you guys just want to dissect him, don't you?"

Levi went on to explain how the kill count he ranked while in titan form. Saying that as an enemy, a titan with intelligence was what made Eren dangerous.

"But I could still take him down without a problem. How many of you could say the same? Before you torment the beast, you'd better think. Can you actually kill him?" Levi said.

Erwin then raised his hand.

Before he even spoke, Akashi knew what he was going to say. Levi beating on Eren was what he needed, or, rather, planned. Akashi let out a breath. No one was craftier than Erwin was. That was why he needed to eliminate Erwin in order for his plan to succeed.

"I'm leaving," Akashi said to Midorima. "You don't need to tell me how this ends."

Before Midorima could respond, Akashi was already out the door.

"I have a proposition," Erwin said.

"Proceed," Zachary replied.

"There's still too much we don't know. And no doubt his danger will be ever present. As such I suggest this: Eren Jaeger will be placed under Captain Levi's supervision. Not only that, but Garrison Regiment soldier, Ryouta Kise, will as well as a transfer to the Scouts. He tells me he knows Eren well due to serving with him during the Battle for Trost, and should he have to, he is willing to kill Eren."

Everyone present gasped, even Kuroko gasped. Erwin definitely had that planned from the start. But what was more unbelievable to him was that Kise was actually transferring to the Scouts. He turned to Momoi who had a similar expression on her face.

"And we'll conduct a recon mission outside of the wall."

"Jaeger will join you in this excursion?" Zachary asked.

"Yes, sir. Then you can look upon that mission's result yourself. And if he successfully controls his ability, Eren will have proven his value to mankind."

"Eren Jaeger will be closely supervised? And should he lose control?" Zachary asked.

"I can definitely kill him if it comes to that. The only downside is, there is zero middle ground," Levi said, turning to Zachary.

"And Ryouta Kise," Zachary said turning to the blonde.

"Sir!"

"Are you up to the task of killing him should he lose control?"

"Yes, sir! If it does come to that, I will kill him. Then kill myself, like my ancestors would've done, if such dishonor would fall upon me," Kise said.

 _Damn. That's pretty hard core. But they are the words necessary to really sell him on the point,_ Kuroko thought as he crossed his arms. _Well played Commander Erwin. I think I respect you even more now._

"Then I have made my choice," Zachary said with a pause. "The Survey Corps will take custody of Eren Jaeger."

 _—_

As the sun began to set, the highest ranked officers of the Scouts, Kise, and Eren were gathered in a room. They spoke about what had just transpired, with Erwin apologizing for the beating.

"That went better than I expected," Hange said as they tended to Eren's bruises. "Does that hurt?"

"Yeah," Eren muttered.

"Yeah? Describe it to me?" Hange said excitedly.

"Huh?"

"Just humor her," Kuroko said with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry for what happened, but the theatrics were necessary," Erwin said.

"No, I understand," Eren replied.

"I can assure you that the pain was worth it. We played our trump card at the perfect time," Erwin said.

"Wait, Eren getting beaten to a pulp was the trump card? I thought that was me," Kise asked, pointing to himself.

"You were to keep Seijūrō off balance," Levi replied.

"And you played that part perfectly. Who knew he would suggest a third option," Erwin said.

"I assumed he had something planned, but not that," Kuroko added.

"Regardless," Erwin said, turning back to Eren, "you have my utmost respect. Eren, I'm glad you're with us now."

Eren's eyes widened and the star struck expression was evident on his face.

"He rarely says that," Kuroko said, a smile coming to his face.

"Huh? Oh, right, glad to be here, sir," Eren said, fumbling over his words.

Levi then walked over and sat next to Eren, causing the boy to jump in surprise. Kise and Kuroko laughed a bit at the boy's unease. After all, the captain did just beat him senseless.

"You don't resent me now, do you?" Levi asked.

"No, sir. I can see now what you did was necessary," Eren answered.

"I still think you went a bit overboard there, Levi," Kuroko commented.

"Good, then you understand," Levi said, ignoring Kuroko's comment.

"I still can't believe," Eren said as he turned to face Kise, "you'd do so much for me, Ryouta."

Kise could see the expression on Eren's face, causing him to turn away in embarrassment.

"Right, well, try not to lose control. I don't want to have to actually kill myself," Kise said, placing his hand behind his head.

"I can't believe you stood up to Seijūrō like that. What you said to him… well, it was the right thing to say," Kuroko said. "Glad you're joining the Scouts as well."

"He's right," Erwin said, "even I would've had trouble talking back to him. Mainly because of his standings on the political ladder, but you are someone he considers an equal. I feel like only those types of people can talk sense into him."

Kise blushed in embarrassment. He was not used to being praised so much. He had feeling that the members of the Scouts were not as odd as people made them out to be. He knew his choice was the right one.

"Anyways, I guess I'll be the one to formally welcome you to the Scouts," Kuroko said holding up a closed fist.

Kise nodded and help up his closed fist and bumped it with Kuroko. The two friends smiled at each other.

"What kind of handshake is that?" Hange asked.

"Huh?" the two asked.

"You guys just… bumped your closed fists," Hange said.

"Have I really never done this in front of you guys?" Kuroko asked.

All the ones present shook their heads.

"It's something Daiki came up with. It was a symbol of our friendship when we were cadets," Kise explained.

"Is that really important, Hange?" Levi asked.

"Well I was curious," Hange replied with a shrug.

She then turned to chastising Levi for beating on Eren a bit too hard, saying that he had knocked out a tooth. She then took out a cloth and showed the tooth to Eren. Levi rolled his eyes and was grossed out by Hange, adding that people like them would have been dissecting him. Hange countered by saying that they would never kill him and turned their attention to Eren. They asked him to open his mouth, but found that his tooth had grown back leaving everyone in the room stunned.

"Well, looks like we got another mystery to solve and another piece to the puzzle," Kuroko said.

 **AN: Another long one. Sorry for making you guys wait so long, but when I finished Voices From The Past (another story I was writing) I wanted to take a small break from writing. But now I'm back and ready to continue this story! Originally I wanted to have the scene where the cadets chose their regiments as well, but this chapter's length was getting a bit too long. So next chapter will be that. However, with this chapter marks the first of the GoM's to become a Scout as well as the plan I have for them going forwards. I shoud mention that even they aren't spared from death. Take that as you will.**

 **Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. If your enjoying the story feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Also, follow me on Twitter. I post story updates and other stuff there too.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Decision of Their Lives

It had been a day since Eren's trial. Since then, Eren had been placed in Levi's squad and Kise had joined them as well. For Kise, it had been a strange afternoon after the hearing. Many within the Garrison had tried to convince him to stay, and even some of the MP's said it was better for him to remain. Akashi had left before the verdict was even given, but Kise knew what his stance would have been. Murasakibara was indifferent about the whole thing, only wishing him luck. Midorima was the same, only wishing him luck in his endeavors. Aomine looked like he wanted to convince him to not do it, but given up saying it when the two met. The only friends that supported his decision were Seig, Kuroko, and Momoi. Seig was even there to see him don his Scout uniform, saying that it suited him better.

However, as soon as he met with Levi's squad, the stories about the Scouts all being oddballs was starting to become truth. If Kise was honest with himself, only one seemed like an oddball in Levi's squad. Eren and Kise met up with Levi and his squad at dawn. There were quick introductions before they began to ride towards where Levi was to keep watch over Eren. Levi's squad had been brief on the details and all kept a close eye on Eren, most were still nervous around the boy. Kise could not blame them, if he had found out about Eren's abilities through word of mouth, he too would have been weary of the teen.

It was not lost on him why they were with Levi and his squad. Levi was already considered humanity's strongest soldier, but his squad consisted of some of the most elite the Scouts had to offer. Kise had recognized them as the group that escorted them after Eren had sealed the breach and only knew the girl's name, Petra, due to Kuroko coordinating an attack with her. The other three had their own reputations as being some of the best: Gunther Shultz, Oluo Bozado, and Eld Jinn. Oluo was definitely the strangest, trying to act cool and trying to have a similar mindset as Levi. Kise did find it funny whenever he would bite his tongue, at least it would keep him quiet for a bit.

Levi rode behind all of them and his eyes never moved from Eren. Kise swore he would have the Captain's stare ingrained into his brain. Kise already knew of Levi's reputation, being the best soldier in the Scouts. There were rumors that Kuroko came in close second, but after seeing Levi in action at Trost he was beginning to not think that was the case.

"Looks like we're here," Eld said, breaking Kise from his thoughts.

"Man, this place sure has gone to hell. It's covered in weeds," Gunther commented.

Kise could hear Oluo's description of the place: the former headquarters for the Scouts and before that a castle for a monarch of old. It had been abandoned because it was too far from the wall or a river. Oluo tried to intimidated Eren by saying it was now his prison, but before he could he but his tongue.

"If that's the case, best get to it then," Levi said, his stare getting colder.

Kise was unsure of what that meant, but quickly understood when he saw the others grabbing cleaning supplies.

 _I guess those rumors are true as well,_ Kise thought.

"What're you standing around for? You're cleaning too," Levi said sternly.

"Yes, sir!" Kise replied, stiffening.

Levi walked away from him and entered into the building.

"Hey, relax. You'll get used to it," Eld said. "Start with the kitchen. I'll be there to help later."

Eld handed Kise cleaning materials as he nodded. He looked down at the cleaning materials and sighed, this was not what he had anticipated when joining the Scouts. Kise made his way to kitchen and found it just as dusty as he anticipated. He let out another sigh and got to cleaning.

It would take until the evening for Levi to be the smallest bit satisfied with the castle's cleanliness. Kise felt like he cleaned the kitchen eight times before Levi was satisfied. He knew the captain would be strict, but about cleaning was not the strictness he anticipated.

The squad gathered and spoke about what would happen next. Kise wondered when the next mission would be, as he had to prove himself to the higher-ups that he was capable of keeping Eren under control. He glanced down to his Scouts insignia, it felt comfortable to wear, yet foreign at the same time. Serving five years with the Garrison felt like it dulled his skills a bit.

"We can assume our standing orders will stretch into next week. Word is we're gearing up for a big mission a month from now," Eld said.

 _I guess that answers that,_ Kise thought.

"We're gonna be bringing along some green recruits too. That'll be our back up," Eld continued.

Kise looked up. That meant that all those who went through Trost, if they joined the Scouts, would be forced to face titans again. The idea did not sit well with him. When Shiganshina fell, it was what kept him from joining the Scouts, the fear of facing titans again so soon. It seemed that Gunther voiced Kise's thoughts.

"What's up with that? The cadets went through hell already, what's the point in them facing it again?"

"Gotta wonder how many of them peed themselves," Oluo said with a snicker.

"Surely this can't be the case," Petra said, turning to Levi.

Kise turned to Levi as well. He did out rank them, so it was a possibility that he had a better grasp of what the plan was.

"My role isn't mission planning, it's Erwin's. I can guarantee that man's thought of every angle."

"That's the truth. Especially how unique the situation is. Consider how many died in order to reclaim Wall Maria, then hope arrives in a from no one expected. One even we're not sure how to deal with," Eld added as his gaze shifted towards Eren.

The other at the table turned to Eren as well. Kise knew all eyes were on him, and did not want to add to the pressure, but he could not help himself and turned towards him as well. Kise could see how Eren shifted uncomfortably as all the pressure was placed on him. Despite his words, Kise knew the boy was unprepared to bear that weight.

"Most of us still find it hard to believe. So, how does the titan changing thing work?" Eld asked.

Eren turned his gaze to the table. "I wish I cold tell you, but I don't remember. Guess it's like being in a trance. I do know the trigger relies on hurting myself. Like biting my hand."

"What about you?" Eld asked turning to Kise.

"Me?" Kise asked pointing to himself.

"The reports say that you were present when he transformed. How does it work?" Petra asked.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure," Kise said, placing a hand on his chin. "The self harm thing is true, though. After that he transforms. A lightning bolt does precede it. However, as to how it works or how he got it, I don't have a clue."

"You won't get anything out of either of them," Levi said, making himself the center of attention. "Apart from what the scribblers have laid out in the reports. Though, you-know-who might have a go at it. You'll be lucky to come out of it alive of that one lays into you. 'Course it's only a matter of time.

"Who're you talking about?" Eren asked, a bit of fear laced in his voice.

Kise too worried about who it could be. As far as he knew the Scouts had full custody of Eren, so that meant no one outside of the Scouts was allowed to touch him. There was the possibility that it was someone within the Scouts. After all, they are also in charge of titan research. However, a large bang broke him from his thoughts, while also making him jump in fright.

"Owww!" a voice said.

There was collective sigh from everyone, knowing who the person was. Petra was the one to stand up and remove the plank that kept the door locked. The door opened and in walked in a new person who Kise remembered was Hange, they lead titan research.

"Good evening, Team Levi! How's castle life been?"

"You're too early," Levi muttered.

"Am I? Guess I just couldn't help myself," Hange said as they entered without a second thought, making a beeline for Eren.

"Section Commander Hange?" Eren asked.

Kise watched as Hange focused all their attention on Eren. They explained their role within the Scouts as the head researcher on titans. They asked questions towards Eren, who answered nervously. When asked about assiting, Hange turned to Levi who said that his only task tomorrow was to clear out the weeds. Hange took that as an ok and turned back to Eren, stating that he was going to help. Eren was still unsure on what was going on, and nervously asked what his role was and if she was running experiments.

"Idiot, shut up," Oluo muttered.

Kise turned to him, wondering what he meant. He did not know if this was a common occurrence or if everyone was just irritated by Hange's demeanor. By the looks on everyone's faces, it was definitely her demeanor. Soon after everyone began to stand up and walk away. Kise was unsure if he should follow or stay.

"You should probably follow us," Petra said.

Kise raised an eyebrow and began to stand. As he did so, Hange shot their gaze in his direction. Kise felt paralyzed by their gaze. Now he was definitely unsure on what he should do.

"What about you? Care to learn too? I bet you also have a curious mind," Hange said.

"Not particularly," Kise muttered. _Okay, she's definitely weird._

"Come now, the more the merrier," Hange said.

Kise reluctantly sat back down. He knew he should have left with the other's but Hange's gaze compelled him to stay. Soon after Hange began to speak, and the moment they began, Kise regretted staying even more.

Kise did not remember when he fell asleep. If he was being honest, he was never really paying attention. Even during his cadet years he rarely payed attention during the classroom portion. He was positive that Hange did even notice him fall asleep, as all their attention was on Eren. He did wake up when the door slammed open. He jumped up and let out a yelp in fright.

"The test subjects have been killed! Someone killed the captive titans!" a messenger yelled.

Kise was not awake enough to understand what had been said, but the expression on Hange's face meant it was serious.

—-

Kagami awoke to the sound of banging on a door. He shifted in bed, trying to ignore it but it would not stop. Kagami groaned as he sat up from his bed. He yawned and slowly walked to the door. Opening it, he found Albrecht Johannes standing in full uniform. Kagami rose a tried eyebrow, wondering why he was up so early.

"Why so early?" Kagami asked.

"Get your gear. We gotta get to the assembly hall," Albrecht said in a hurry.

"Why?"

"Someone killed the titans the Scouts captured."

The words made Kagami feel wide awake. He nodded, got dressed and followed Albrecht to the assembly hall. There the surviving cadets of the 104th were gathered, all of them were lined up and their ODM rig in front of them. In the building were MP's, all armed with rifles; even the one conducting the investigation. Kagami was placed next to a male cadet who he did not recognize, and a girl he had seen before in a weapons depot.

Around him people were muttering to themselves. Most conversed as to now they were getting trouble for killing titans. While Kagami understood the sentiment, those two titans were a different circumstance. When he had first heard about the captured titans, he contemplated storming in and killing them. He had stopped himself when he knew it would be a bad idea. However, it seemed someone could not keep their own emotions in check and went and killed valuable assets.

It took some time, but an MP finally made it to Kagami. The MP sized him up with a quick glance before turning his gaze back to the papers in his hand.

"What's you name and unit?"

"Taiga Kagmi. Squad 14."

The MP eyed him for a moment before turning to his gear. He examined every piece of it, checking to see if anything had been used recently.

"When did you last refill your gas? When did you replace your gear shaft?"

"About a week ago, after the operation to seal the wall. I've been kept off duty because of my injury," Kagami answered as he held out his hands.

The MP took note of the red-head's hands, he gave a satisfied nod as he wrote something down.

"You're clear."

Kagami nodded and exhaled lightly. He watched as MP walked over to the girl next to him. He did the same thing, sized her up and asked for her name and unite number.

"I'm Aemilia Liebrecht. I was part of Squad 19."

The MP wrote something down, then turned to her again.

"When did you last replace the gear shaft?"

Kagami could see the girl beginning to get nervous and fumbling over her words. The sweat building on her brow was obvious. Meanwhile, the MP was beginning to get suspicious.

"She was with me, sir. We did it together," Kagami said.

The MP turned his gaze towards Kagami, taking in every detail from his body language. Kagami, meanwhile looked straight ahead. He was not lying per se, but it was not exactly the truth either. The MP turned back to the girl, his gaze hardening.

"Is this true?"

The girl nodded very quickly. "Yes, sir."

The MP let out a disgruntled sigh and scribbled something down. "You're clear."

When the MP walked away, the girl let out a relieved breath. She then turned to Kagami, who continued to look straight ahead. Aemilia was a relatively short girl, but taller than Christa, with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes. She was likely one of the younger cadets, around the same age as Josh and his group.

"Thanks a lot. I've never been in that kind of situation before."

Kagami nodded. "Don't mention it. It was obvious you didn't do it."

"My name's Aemilia Liebrecht, if you missed it."

"I didn't," Kagami replied bluntly.

"Meanwhile, you live up to your reputation," Aemilia said.

Kagami rose an eyebrow. He was unaware that he had a reputation that he lived up to. "Reputation?"

Aemilia nodded. "You don't speak much."

Kagami mulled it over. It was true, he would not speak too often, but he did not think it deserved to be labeled his reputation.

"Just between you and me, who do you think did it?" Aemilia asked in a hushed tone.

Kagami shrugged. "Can't really say. There are too many motives."

When everyone was cleared, the cadets began to pour out of the assembly hall. It appeared that no one from the cadet corps was the culprit. Everyone's gear checked out and, despite the questioning, no one seemed to have been out at night. Kagami and Aemilia parted ways, and Kagami hoped to not see the girl join the Scouts.

—-

During the time that the cadets were being searched, several of the Scouts gathered where the titans had been imprisoned. Present were also Garrison soldiers and MP's. Hange was mourning the steaming corpses of Sonny and Bean, the names they had given to the titans, while Moblit tried his best to calm them down. Many watched as the Section Commander broke down in tears, while others were trying to find clues as to who may have done it.

Among those searching was Kuroko, who looked at every angle as to which the assailant might have attacked. To him, the perpetrator had to be someone skilled with ODM gear as the maneuverings had to be precise. It was possible that someone from the Scouts could do it, as many had to be very skilled with the gear, but he ruled that out quickly. There was the possibility that someone from the Garrison or the MPs did it. He did not entirely rule them out, but someone from there being the culprit was unlikely. That meant the only candidates were those from the cadet corps. While they were the lowest likelihood, he still could not rule out the possibility. He made a mental note to ask someone for the rosters of the cadet corps and the Garrison soldiers stationed at Trost, as well as the MPs. However, he was sure of one characteristic the culprit had.

Kuroko gave one last look at the steaming corpses before turning away. Looking up he saw Erwin talking to Eren, but he was not sure as to what they were saying. When the two separated, he quickened his pace and called out to the commander.

"What is it, Tetsuya?"

"Can I speak with you in private for a minute?" Kuroko asked.

Erwin nodded and motioned for Kuroko to lead the way. Finding a mostly empty corner, Kuroko relayed his findings to Erwin, who seemed to have come to similar conclusions.

"However, I am sure of one thing. It had to be someone who can transform into a titan," Kuroko said.

"How can you be sure of that?" Erwin asked. His voice stern, yet laced with curiosity.

"It makes the most sense. With Eren's abilities now out in the open, we are one step closer to figuring out the mystery of the titans. If we could properly study wild titans, then we'd be even closer," Kuroko said.

"So you're saying that they want to keep us from learning more about the titans, in order to keep us in the dark," Erwin replied.

Kuroko nodded. "Exactly. We need draw them out into the open. Those who can become the Armored and Colossal titans and anyone else who might be in league with them."

"Yes I agree. However, how would we do that?" Erwin asked.

"The bait would have to be something very enticing. Something that no one would be able to miss out on," Kuroko added.

The remained silent thinking as to what would be the best lure. Eren was already bait, but they needed something more. Kuroko thought about how the captured titans were killed and how it prevented them from learning more about the titans. Then, the idea hit him and it seemed that Erwin had figured it out too.

"We'll use Eren's basement in Shiganshina," Erwin said.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Kuroko replied.

"Though we'll have to keep the part of the operation to capture a titan shifter a secret from almost everyone. Only a few of us can know," Erwin said.

"You're right about that part. Well, you and me know. I'm sure we can trust Levi and Hange with the finer details. Mike too," Kuroko mused as he put a hand on his chin.

"We need to keep the circle as small as possible," Erwin said, which Kuroko agreed with. "We'll put this on hold for now. We can continue to discuss this later."

Kuroko nodded in agreement. Things were finally going to be making sense soon and the closer they got, the closer it felt like they could break away from the walls. In the back of Kuroko's mind, however, the thought of sending in green recruits into such a perilous mission did not sit well with him.

 _Though, I'm sure that Erwin had already thought about all this even before I talked to him,_ Kuroko thought.

—

When night fell, the cadets gathered in an open amphitheater. The area was lit by flaming pyres, with the stage more visible than everything else. What the cadets were supposed to do a week ago, they were doing now. It was time to chose their regiments. However, before everything, many more cadets were supposed to be in attendance. Now only the surviving cadets from Trost were gathered.

Kagami scanned around the area. He stood to the back of the group, not wanting others to maybe influence his decision. He could barely make out people he knew among the sea of heads. He had heard that Armin and Mikasa had returned from where ever they had been, but he had yet to see them. It was likely that those who knew each other better formed small cluster, likely in order to make sure their decisions were made together. Kagami thought that kind of thinking was pointless, as it could get you killed on the battlefield. Granted, he knew not too many would join the Scouts. Only those crazy enough join the Scouts, and he was one of them. Kagami scanned one last time through the sea of people and the only person he could make out clearly was Bertolt, as he was one of the taller cadets; no doubt Reiner was next to him.

Everyone began to quiet down when a tall, blonde man walked onto the stage. Behind him were several other soldiers. The light from the fires illuminated him and those behind him. They all wore the emblem of the Scouts. It would be them who would present themselves first.

"Good evening. I'm Erwin Smith, commander of the Survey Corps, also known as the Scout Regiment. Tonight, after your three years of grueling training and facing danger so quickly, you will choose your regiment. I won't busy you all with small talk, so here's the everything all at once. The Scouts need you, every warm body we can get. Having faced the last titan attack, you all know what they're capable of and the limits of your skills. Despite that, the aftermath gave us a new hope. He has not just helped in pushing back the titans, but gave us a clue as to their origins."

Erwin paused, allowing everyone to process the information. People murmured amongst themselves in surprise of the commander's words.

"Our intelligence suggests that Jaeger's home in Shiganshina holds a vital secret about our enemy. We are already gathering an expedition to find this secret. When we find it, we'll be able to break free from the titan's hundred year reign of terror for good!"

Erwin's words got everyone talking. Most of it was in disbelief that such a thing could happen.

 _How is that even possible? How could Eren's cellar have that kind of info? Who really is he?_ Kagami thought.

Erwin paused for a few seconds. Allowing for everyone to get what they needed out of their systems.

"However, before we reach said cellar, there is something else we need to do; and that is retake Wall Maria. Of course, that's easier said than done. Considering that the gate at Trost has been sealed and will likely never open, all future expeditions must be done from Karanese District to the east. That makes the the travel time longer and the route we've been charting for four years void. In that time, the Scouts have incurred loses at rates exceeding sixty percent. That's a horrifying figure. One month from now we'll be conducting an expedition beyond the walls and recruits from your ranks will be expected to take part. I estimate that one in three will survive. After a period of four years most will have died, but those who survive will come out stronger."

Erwin paused again. This time, no one spoke. A cold chill went down everyone spines, even for those standing behind Erwin. It was as if Erwin's words killed all sense of hope he had previously instilled.

"Having heard the abysmal state of affairs, those of you who still wish to put your life on the line, remain here. Before you make your choice, ask yourself this: can you give up your hearts? Can you give up everything for humanity?! That is all I have to say. Those of you who wish join other regiments may leave."

There was silence again. Erwin's bluntness had affected everyone, even the Scouts behind him. It was likely that almost no one would stay behind after that. Then came the sound of heels turning on dirt. Slowly people were broken from the hold of Erwins words and turned away. At first it was almost one at a time, then more began to follow, until people began to leave in droves.

Kagami watched as people walked past him. Their faces pale with fear. He caught a glimpse of Annie passing him, her cold gaze lasting a bit too long. However, in front of him, several people stood stick still. Likely afraid of staying, but knowing it was where they needed to be. Several trembled in fear, while others hugged themselves trying to keep the nerves at bay. Kagami was beginning to feel in a similar way. The hordes of people that passed by him made him want to turn around too.

 _I can't back down now. I made up my mind a long time ago. If I was going to die, it'd be doing something. Not sitting behind the walls waiting to die. I have to fight. Fight for everyone I've lost. Fight for Tatsuya. I have to fight!_

When the footsteps stopped, Kagami looked up to see who remained. He saw Sasha, Jean, Connie, Ymir, Reiner, Bertolt, Christ, Josh, Aline, Albrecht, Mikasa and Armin; plus a few others. He knew all of the had fear plastered on their faces. They were regretting their choices despite having made them. He looked to the side see the girl from before, Amanda, standing stock still. Kagami groaned. He had hoped she would not join, but in the end he was wrong.

 _This'll definitely be interesting._

Everyone then looked to Erwin, who gave a satisfied nod. It was likely that more people were going to join than he was expecting.

"I ask you, if you were ordered to die, could you do it?"

Everyone remained silent. While the answer to the question was obvious, no one wanted to answer.

Then, a cadet close to Kagami, who he did not recognize, took in a deep breath. "We don't want to die, sir!"

Erwin half smiled. The obvious answer, but the delivery impressed him. "Of course. Let us hope you don't then. You who have stayed are one of us now. This is a genuine salute soldiers; together we give our hearts!" Erwin saluted, placing his closed right fist over his heart. The cadets followed suit, both in respect to their new commanding officer and proving their loyalty to the Scouts.

The whole event ended with little fan fare. The group of cadets closer to the stage all gathered, all talking about how they were still in disbelief they had just joined the Scouts. Kagami stood away from the group, simply watching as everyone tried to regain their bearings. As he turned on his heel to return to the impromptu barracks, he saw Aemilia out of the corner of his eye still shaking in fear. Kagami let out a sigh and walked towards her. He tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to stop shaking and turn towards him with a fearful expression and pale face.

"You should've gone with the others," Kagami said as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Yeah, well, I was honestly too scared to move," Aemilia replied, trying to regain her composure.

"It isn't too late to back out," Kagami advised.

Surprisingly, Aemilia shook her head in disagreement. "I wanted to join the Scouts, but what the commander said made me very scared. It's still a risk I'm willing to take."

Kagami let out a breath and let his arms fall to his sides. This girl was not going to last long in the Scouts. He would probably be called a pessimist, but he was just being realistic. Though, he somewhat admired the girl's determination. She really did intent on joining the Scouts.

"Well, I can't stop you and I wasn't planning on doing it," Kagami said as he turned away. "See you on the expedition."

In one month's time, Kagami would either die or live to fight another day. He still wanted to die. It would free him from a world that did not care for him and that he did not care for. However, he had to settle something first before he was ready to leave, and that was figure out why Eren Jaeger was all of a sudden the key to everything wrong in the world. Kagami walked away from the amphitheater, ahead of the others, a scowl on his face, ready to fight whoever and whatever kept him from finding that out.

 **AN: Here we are with another chapter. It's a bit on the short side, so sorry about that. Here we have the beginnings of the cadets joining the Scouts, and Kise joining Levi Squad. Like I said in the previous AN, not even the KnB characters are safe from death. Take that as you will. For this story a made Kuroko a bit more inquisitive and a vital part of titan research. This is to help flesh out the Scouts growing knowledge of titans, as the show does not usually follow their discoveries sometimes; especially when to came to the purpose of the expedition. So in this chapter, I laid the ground work for the main purpose of the expedition, and in the next chapter, I'll be creating a scene that explains the plan among the higher ups in the Scouts. Along those line is Hange. Hange in the manga does not have a specified gender, so I decided to keep that in this story. However, that is only when I refer to them outside of conversations between characters. When the characters talk about them, they will refer to them as a female, as the anime makes them appear more feminine.**

 **There's also something else I wanted to mention. It's a superficial thing, but it helps ground the story a bit better, and that's the height of KnB characters. I've decided to make them a bit shorter. For example: Kagami, Aomine, and Midorima, I've shortened them from 6'4'' to about 6 feet tall. Meanwhile, Murasakibara went from 6'10'' to about 6'5'' (Which still makes him one of the tallest characters). While Akashi, Kuroko, Kise, and Momoi are still the same height. Again, this is a superficial thing, so it's up to you if you want to see them the way I envision them, or keep them at the same height from KnB.**

 **With all that out of the way, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Things are really starting to move and I honestly can't wait to get to the cooler stuff AoT has to offer. If you are enjoying, feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Preparations

Kagami and the rest of the 104th that had joined the Scouts were up early in the morning, as they were supposed to meet with a superior to go to the Scout's basecamp. Most were disgruntled to be up so early in the morning, and Kagami was too, but they had to be ready for their pick up. Everyone met up by Trost's inner gate at around 9 am. Unlike most days, everyone was quiet. It was obvious that most were still processing the decision they had made. Kagami eyes darted between each person present. Some seemed more prepared for what came next than others. Kagami could not help but wonder who would be the next person to lose their lives among them. The Commander had put it bluntly when he said that most of them would die. Kagami welcomed death, as long as he died doing something worthwhile.

Not waiting for too long, the members of the Scout Regiment arrived. However, there were less than Kagami had anticipated. Present were only three. Two males and a female. One of the males, likely the highest rank, was about the same height as Reiner with light brown hair and similarly colored eyes. The second male was bit shorter than him. He had black hair, with the same colored eyes. He also wore glasses. The female was the shortest of the three, maybe a bit taller than Christa. She had auburn hair with brown eyes.

"Is this everyone?" the girl asked as she got off her horse.

"I think so. Erwin did mention we had a lot more recruits than usual," the leader replied.

The lead male gave each recruit a passing glance, but his gaze seemed to linger on some longer than others. With a satisfied nod, he put his hand behind his back.

"Alright everyone, fall in!"

The recruits did as they were told and got into an organized line.

"You guys are lucky we were assigned to pick you up. If it was someone else, you'd been insulted and yelled at already," the leader said with a chuckle.

His words seemed to have lightened the mood as the recruits relaxed a bit.

"Normally, there are more present for this, but my commanding officer was held back. Anyways, I'm Connor Walker, part of the Scout Regiment's Stealth Squad," Connor said.

There were murmurs among the recruits, wondering what the Stealth Squad was and why something like that was even needed. Kagami too wondered what he meant by that.

Connor read the situation and took in a breath. "You'll find out what the stealth squad is when you meet the captain of it. If we're not famous like Levi's Squad, then we're doing our jobs correctly."

The recruits seemed to still be a bit confused, but accepted Connor's words.

"I told you not to boast about that, Connor," the girl said.

Connor rolled his eyes, but ignored her comment. "With me are Jonathan Hansen." The man now named Jonathan simply waved as he was introduced. "And Rachel Algar."

"Nice to meet all of you," Rachel said.

Everyone's first impression of the three members of the Scouts seemed pretty normal. The Scouts had a reputation of being filled with strange people that did not exactly conform to everyday life. So far, they were not living up to that reputation.

"Load up on the carts. The trip's a long one, so the quicker we head out the better," Connor said.

It took a moment, but each recruit realized that each horse was pulling a cart.

"We weren't going to make you walk the whole way. Plus, my captain was the one who wanted you all to rest before you made it to basecamp," Connor explained.

"Tell your captain: 'thanks a bunch!'" Connie said.

Connor chuckled. "You can tell him yourself. Before I hand you guys off to Ness you'll get to meet him."

"Who is your captain?" Christa asked the question on everyone's minds. The way Connor explained made it seem like they were some mysterious person.

"Captain Tetsuya Kuroko."

"Who's that?" Reiner asked.

"Damn, people really only know his nickname, huh," Connor muttered. "The populace calls him Ghost, if that helps."

"Wait, seriously?!" Sasha exclaimed.

"Isn't he supposed to be the best in the Scouts behind Captain Levi?" Jean mused.

Connor chuckled again. He got a kick out of it whenever people would bring that up. "He doesn't care too much about titles. Also, don't call him by his nickname, Tetsuya really hates it."

Before anyone could respond, the three Scouts cracked the reins of their horses and began the trip to basecamp. The ride was mostly filled with questions the recruits had that the veterans would answer. Kagami mostly kept to himself. In his mind were the things that he thought about the day prior; how Eren Jaeger became the center of everything. He glanced towards Armin and Mikasa, who rode in the same cart with him, Armin was speaking with Connor while Mikasa was silent. He wondered if they knew something, though when Eren came out from the titan's nape, they had been just as surprised.

"Lost in your own head?" a voice asked.

Kagami looked to the side to see Jean staring straight ahead.

"You could say that," Kagami replied.

"What do you think about all this?" Jean asked.

Kagami shrugged. "You're all crazy, and so am I."

Jean chuckled humorlessly. "You're right about that."

"What made you change your mind? Marco?" Kagami asked.

"You could say that. I guess I'm tired of being scared," Jean replied, adding a shrug.

"All we can do now is try to survive," Kagami said.

The ride to basecamp had reached the finish by late afternoon. They were greeted by the large amount of Scouts doing different chores around the base. The recruits got off the carts and got whatever they brought with them too. They all stood in a line when Connor called them to attention.

"Well, this'll be home sweet home for you guys," Connor said.

"Oh, you're back already?" a feminine voice said.

The recruits and Connor looked towards where the voice came from, when all the male recruits saw who it was, their eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. The only male that was not affected that much was Kagami, as only a light blush formed on his face.

"Nice timing," Conner said as he walked forwards. "Everyone, meet Lieutenant Satsuki Momoi. Second in command in the Stealth Squad."

 _This girl is way too hot,_ Connie thought.

 _Mikasa's pretty, but this girl is on a whole other level,_ Jean thought.

 _I thought Christa was the prettiest girl I'd ever meet,_ Reiner thought.

Bertolt did not even know what to think. He knew that the woman in front of them was pretty.

Armin had a similar train of thought. The woman in front of him was definitely pretty.

 _This girl will be all I think about for awhile,_ Albrecht thought.

 _My heart still belongs to Annie,_ Josh thought.

"Well, it's nice to meet all of you," Momoi said as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

The action seemed to make all the boy's hearts skip a beat.

She then turned to Connor. "Tetsuya's asking for you."

Connor nodded. "I guess that works out." He then turned to the recruits. "Satsuki will be the one the show you guys around. She'll also take you to the barracks where you can drop off your stuff." He turned back to Momoi. "Leave 'em with Ness when you're done."

"Sure," Momoi said as Connor began to walk away. "Okay, everyone, follow me and I'll show you to the barracks."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Momoi laughed. Her laughter causing the boys' hearts to skip a beat again. "No need for the formality with me."

They began to walk around the grounds, using the explanations to better understand the daily routines of the regiment. They passed by the stables that was attended by Section Commander Ness, with Momoi making sure that she would leave the recruits with him later. Momoi showed them where the mess hall was, causing Sasha to salivate. Finally they reached the barracks. After placing their belongings on a cot. The recruits reconvened outside, where Momoi was waiting for them, though it seemed she was talking to nobody.

"That was quicker than I had anticipated," Momoi said as she saw them exit.

"So, these are the new recruits," a male voice said. However, there did not seemed to be anyone present that matched the voice.

"Oh, dear," Momoi said with a chuckle.

"Did you just say something, Lieutenant?" Armin asked.

Momoi nodded no and continued to chuckle.

"That would be me, Recruit Arlert," the male voice said again.

The group blinked and all of a sudden a young man with brown hair and a streak of light blue appeared. Everyone jumped back in fright at the sight of the new arrival. Off to the side two Scouts that were passing by laughed.

"Looks like the recruits just went through initiation," one said.

The young man sighed. "Anyways, I'm Captain Tetsuya Kuroko of the Stealth Squad. It's a pleasure to meet all of you and some for a second time." Kuroko's gaze landed on Kagami as well as Mikasa and Armin.

"Wait, so you're Ghost?" Connie asked.

Kuroko sighed again. "I really wish that nickname didn't catch on. But, yes, I am. Call me by name please." Kuroko's voice was stern, causing everyone to stand stiff in attention.

"Sorry I could not make it in the morning, however it is good to meet all of you now. I've heard promising things from this generation," Kuroko said.

"To be fair, Captain, no one can live up to the precedent that your cadet corps left," Albrecht said.

Someone elbowed him and told him he was being disrespectful. However, to everyone's surprise, Momoi and Kuroko laughed at the comment.

"Then let me tell you something funny. Momoi and I placed last among the group everyone holds in such high regard," Kuroko explained.

"Huh?" everyone said in disbelief.

"It's true. Before you arrived, we went through your cadet records, and Mikasa Ackerman scored higher than both me and Tetsu," Momoi said.

"You both humble me," Mikasa said, though it was obvious that she felt he pride swell up a bit.

"Enough about that though. You don't want to keep Ness waiting any longer," Kuroko said. "I look forward to seeing your progress."

Momoi then handed them off to Section Commander Ness, who briefed them on what his role was going to be, which was teach them the basics of operations within the regiment. After going over the details, he let them go get rest and prepare for tomorrow's training. He said that Kuroko had been adamant to give them more time to rest before training with the Scouts began in earnest. Once again, the recruits from the 104th silently thanked the captain and waited for tomorrow to come.

—

In one of the rooms that was turned into a makeshift office, Kuroko went through the documents he had requested during the investigation on the test subject titans killer. He went over every person in the piles of the MP's and Garrison soldiers stationed at Trost. He even went over those who could have possibly done it from other areas. However he could never find someone remotely close to the culprit's description.

Kuroko let out a sigh as he sat back in his chair. He dragged a hand down his face before sitting up again. He had gone over the same documents more than a dozen times already, but nothing ever changed or stood out. The only stack he had yet to meticulously sift through was the one of the cadets stationed at Trost. He never wanted to look through it. He had only asked for it because it was the last place where a culprit could be found. Kuroko let out another sigh and sat back.

 _No way any one of those kids could've done it. The only one that I think with the skills to pull it off would be Aomine or Akashi. I know for a fact they didn't do it though. That only leaves the cadets,_ Kuroko thought.

He glanced towards the stack again. He let out a breath and sat up. He grabbed the a few of the papers and began to look through them, starting with the top ten.

 _If it is anyone from the cadet corps it's likely one from the top ten. If not, someone held back during their three years of training._

Kuroko woke up to the sound of someone knocking on a door. He took a quick glance at his surroundings just to make sure he was still in his makeshift office. He rubbed his eyes to try to hide the fact that he was just asleep. As he stood up he noticed a cold cup of tea sitting on the corner of the desk. He smiled. It was likely that Momoi had dropped by and left it for him. He walked to the door and opened it to find Mike standing behind it.

"Sorry. Were you waiting long?"

Mike nodded no. "Come on, Commander's asked for you."

Kuroko nodded and walked out from the room. He followed Mike to Commander Erwin's office, which was an actual office compared to Kuroko's makeshift one. The two arrived at the door and Mike knocked on it. A voice told them to come in and the two walked inside. In the room were Hange, Levi, and Erwin. The three of them were standing around a table with papers scattered around a map.

"Glad you could join us, Tetsuya," Erwin said.

"Can't miss this strategy meeting," Kuroko said with a nod.

"Now that we're all here, we can begin. What is discussed here will remain between the five of us. Not a word must be spoken to anyone. Is that understood?" Erwin asked, punctuating his words by looking at the four people present.

The four nodded in response.

"Now then, I'm about to tell you the real purpose of this expedition: we're going to drag out the real enemy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Levi asked.

Erwin turned to Kuroko. "Tetsuya."

"Right. I said before that we believe that the Colossal and Armored Titans are like Eren, people who can transform into titans. We're going to draw one of them out and capture them on this mission," Kuroko explained.

"I'm assuming Eren's the bait?" Mike asked.

Kuroko nodded in response. "Indeed. He was the bait for the mission, but the rod was the info that Eren's basement holds the key knowing more about the titans."

"The plan is," Erwin said to take control of the conversation, "we ride out of Karanese District en route to Shiganshina, but we make our way to the Forest of Giant Trees." Erwin pointed towards the map to illustrate his explanation.

"How can we be sure they'll come after us?" Levi asked.

"If they're like Eren, they'll want him taken off the board so we are continued to be kept in the dark about the titans," Kuroko replied.

"So you're saying that the person responsible for killing Sonny and Bean is either the Armored or Colassal titan?" Hange asked.

Kuroko nodded again. "Yes, or at least someone affiliated with them."

"Didn't you ask for the file of every MP and Garrison soldier in Trost to try to find who did it?" Mike asked.

"I did. I combed through every person multiple times, but nothing stood out to me. The people I have yet to look through are the cadets," Kuroko answered.

"The cadets?" Hange asked.

"It's unlikely, but it's only place left to check," Kuroko replied.

"Anyways, this plan is awfully risky if only the five of us know it. We should at least tell it to those who we trust implicitly," Levi argued.

"I understand your sentiments, but we need to keep the circle as small as possible," Erwin said.

"Plus, people are bound to figure out that the mission has an ulterior motive, but they's only have assumptions. Nothing concrete enough to act on," Kuroko added.

"That's why we're bringing the harpoons. To catch one of the bastards," Hange said.

Erwin and Kuroko nodded.

"That's one way your subordinates will figure it out, Hange," Kuroko said.

"There's still the issue of how many people we're going to lose on this mission," Levi said.

The room fell silent there. Erwin and Kuroko knew the risks of the mission's secret motive, but hoped that even with that, the casualty rate would still be low.

"There's no point in mincing words. Many will lose their lives, veteran and rookie alike. But if this works, their sacrifice won't be in vain," Erwin said.

Levi clicked his tongue in frustration. "That's a load of bullshit and you know it. We're doing this with way too many unknowns and we're banking on the fact someone will come after the kid in the first place."

"I get it Levi. I want to tell my team everything too, but in order for this to work the whole regiment needs to kept in the dark," Kuroko replied.

Kuroko understood Levi's point, and he agreed with him. He did not like running an operation with very little to go on. They knew next to nothing about the abilities those titans possessed and all they had to go on was that they possessed a human-level of intelligence. That was what made them all the more frightening. An abnormal was enough of a problem, but fighting a 15-meter tall human was a whole other problem.

"What if this plan fails?" Mike asked.

Another pause of silence. The one to break the sound was Levi's boots hitting the floor as he walked.

"Then the men and women that die on the mission will have died for nothing," Levi said as he opened the door and closed it.

The room was quiet again. Levi's reasoning lingered in their minds, and even longer in Kuroko's. Kuroko took in a breath and released it.

"If this mission fails, blame it on me. It's my job to gather intel, and right now we have next to none," Kuroko said.

The three veterans looked towards the young man. They could see him actively placing the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"No, Tetsuya. I'm the Commander of this regiment, so I take the blame for failed missions," Erwin said.

"Levi's right though. We're going to lose almost half of our fighting strength for nothing should the mission fail!" Kuroko argued.

"And that's a risk we're going to have to take," Hange said.

Kuroko looked towards them. They had a smile on their face, one that sympathized with him.

"This by far the stupidest thing we've done, and we're known for doing the stupid stuff," Mike added.

"Then we're all in agreement then. This is the second objective of this expediation," Erwin said.

"Yes, sir," the three present said.

Unbeknownst to the four in the room, Levi had heard the rest of the conversation. Even though he disagreed with the second objective, he trusted Erwin. That was enough for him to agree to keep the mission a secret as well as go through with it.

—-

For the next few weeks, the members of the 104th spent most of their days in a classroom, where Section Commander Ness would teach them about the scouting formation. They spent their days learning all the ins and outs of the the formation as well as where they would be located. Not once did they do combat training. Though many believed that Trost was what put their newfound skills to the test. The formation they were taught kept the fighting to a minimum. As the objective was to use smoke signals to communicate threats and avoid them accordingly. All in all, this was the reason why the casualty count was so low.

They had also been given their location in the formation as well as roles. They would be in the middle flanks of the formation. With their jobs being to run spare horses and relay smoke signals to the right and left wing spotters. Everything they learned was repeated to them in order for them to not forget, as well as to survive.

While they were being taught that, at a separate location, Eren and Kise were being taught the same thing; the basics of the formation. However, their position was different. Levi Squad would be position more in the middle, where they would be the safest. Gunther added that not even the supply wagons would be where they were.

Kise had to wonder where the squad would normally be positioned. His only guess would be the vanguard.

Gunther continued by describing the point of the mission was a test run to see if the regiment could get Eren all the way to Shiganshina, as they had to find what was in his basement.

Kise could see the unease in his the boy's eyes. It was obvious that he did not trust himself to keep himself under control. When he was asked about what Commander Erwin had asked him, something Kise had no idea what they were talking about, the worry on his face only grew. His eyes darted to the other members, but they could not give him and answer. Gunther surmised that the operation had an alternate goal, but what it was he did not have a clue.

Kise, out of the corner of his eye, could see Levi shift uncomfortably. It was likely he knew if the mission alternate mission, but it was not his place to ask. After all, like Eren, he was still a new to the Scouts.

When that discussion concluded, the squad decided on returning to base. When they arrived, Kise and Eren were made to do grunt work and began to clean the stables. Part Kise wanted to not be there, but he knew best than to argue with Levi.

"Hey, since we're almost done, you go on ahead," Kise said.

"Are you sure? I can still help," Eren said.

"Don't worry about it. Though I heard that the new recruits would be here today," Kise said.

"Are you serious?!" Eren asked, his expression brightening.

"It was just a rumor, though," Kise said with a chuckle.

Eren rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Ryouta."

"Just go. I'll finish up here."

"Thanks then," Eren said as he set down the shovel.

Once outside, Eren saw his friends walking past him, being led by a senior member. After getting permission from Oluo, Eren called out to his friends. Armin and Mikasa were the first to turn around, as Eren called out their names. The rest followed suit.

When Kagami saw him, his gaze narrowed. He was still distrustful of Eren and his abilities. He would find out what made him so special.

"Woah, I can't believe you're all here!" Eren said.

"Long time no see, huh?" Sasha replied.

Everyone gathered there was happy to see Eren again. Kagami was the only one that did not share the sentiment. However, he made sure that no one could read his emotions.

"Wait, if you're here, then you guys joined the Scouts?"

"Well yeah. Why else would we be here?" Connie replied crossing his arms.

"That makes sense. Does that mean Jean, Annie, and Marco joined the MP's?"

"No, not exactly," Jean said behind Eren.

"You're here too? Never expected you of all people to join the Scouts," Eren replied, disbelief clearly evident in his voice.

"Yeah," Jean's gaze then shifted to the ground, "and Marco's dead."

Eren's eyes widened in surprise at the news, while the others shifted their gaze towards the ground.

"What? You're just joking, right? He's not really dead is he?"

"Jansen's dead too. He died the day after you seal the wall," Josh said as he stepped out from behind Jean.

"You guys are serious," Eren replied, his voice still laced with disbelief.

"Get it through your head, they're dead!" Kagami yelled.

Everyone one turned to the redhead. Frustration was evident across his face.

"They're gone and you're still alive. It's funny how those things work out," Kagami said as he crossed his arms.

Mikasa tired to rush towards him, anger etched on her face, but Armin stopped her.

"Hey, calm down a bit, Taiga," Sasha said.

Kagami tightened the grip of his fist and turned away from the group.

"What're you going to do about it?" Kagami asked.

"How did they die?" Eren asked after a period of silence.

"Jansen bled to death after a titan bit his legs off. I wish I could tell you how Marco went out. Nobody saw it. He died alone," Jean answered.

There was another long silence as Eren processed everything he was told. For everyone else, it served as a remembrance for everyone they had lost in Trost. Remembering the funeral pyres. Remembering it served as a catalyst to join the Scouts.

"Hey, all you rookies, form up! Your uniforms are here!" Ness called out.

His voice broke everyone from their thoughts and they formed a line in front of the Section Commander. With him was another Scout, and both held a pile of green cloak with the regiment's insignia. Each of the recruits took one and put it on.

As Kagami put his on, it felt heavier than it really was. He could help but wonder what Tatsuya would think if his decision. Would he have followed him to the Scouts, or the other way around? He did not have answer to that question. He could only look ahead to what would happen next.

Just as they were putting the on, Kise walked out from the stable to see the recruits putting them on. Seeing them billow with the wind caused a bit of pride to swell in him. He was happy that the new recruits were wearing the uniform with a semblance of pride. It made his decision feel a lot less lonely, even if he could feel Akashi's cold stare in the back of his mind. Though he could see that it felt like some people were missing from the group of recruits.

—-

Later that night, the new members of the Scout Regiment gathered in a storage room. They all stood around Eren, who stared at the floor. They had gathered since they wanted to hear from Eren an explanation of his powers. Off to the side, Kagami stood where the light barely illuminated him, but many knew he was scowling at Eren.

"So, they decided that all of you…" Eren began to say.

"Yes, we will part of the upcoming mission," Mikasa said, cutting him off.

"Since we're all going to be on this mission, mainly due to that power of yours, I want to get some things straight," Jean said, looking around at everyone present. "We heard the rumors, but I want to hear it from your mouth. When you were in your titan form, we're told that you intentionally tried to crush Mikasa. Mind telling us what that was about."

Mikasa was about to say something, before Kagami cut her off. "Keep your mouth shut. No one cares for the pitiful excuse you'll come up with."

Mikasa glared and growled in Kagami's direction. To which Kagami responded with a glare of his own.

"He's not wrong Mikasa. While we're on the subject though, is that scar healing up okay? Would like to share how you got it?" Jean said.

Mikasa switched her gaze towards Jean, while covering the scar with her hair.

Eren let out a defeated sigh. "People keep talking about it. They brought it up at the trail too. It probably means it really did happen, I tried to kill her."

"Probably? What does that mean? Are you not aware of your own actions?" Jean asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not. I don't remember anything."

"Are we're placing our hopes on him," Kagami said rolling his eyes.

"He's not wrong. That's big thing to space out on," a recruit said with other nodding in agreement.

"I don't remember much of anything when I was transformed. It's all very hazy."

"Just so I understand, you can turn into a fifteen-meter killing machine at a moments notice, but you don't have full control over it?" Jean asked.

"Who's in the driver's seat Eren?" Kagami added.

"I'm…I'm not sure," Eren answered. His gaze falling to the floor again.

Jean sighed and turned towards everyone gathered. "You hear that? Quite the situation we're in. Our lives and the fate of the entire human race rest on his shoulders. My bet is we'll end up like Jansen and Marco, dead before Eren even realizes what happened."

From there, everyone began to argue amongst each other. Many agreed with Jean on how everything depended on Eren, when he was not dependable. Mikasa was quick to come to his defense, but everyone shot down whatever she had to say. Kagami kept his thoughts to himself. He knew where he stood on the matter, and he was sure everyone present knew it as well.

"What are you guys trying to say?"

"We're saying that you need to prove to us you're wroth supporting. You don't even look committed to this and you were adamant about joining the Scouts. We need you to guarantee that you're life is worth dying for," Jean said.

"Guys, I…"

"Dammit, Eren! Is there anything you can do for us or not?" Jean asked. He then grabbed his shoulder and moved to be eye level with him. "If you can do this then I'm with you all the way."

Everyone followed suit and demonstrated their devotion to Eren. Though it was obvious that Eren was unprepared for that as he still seemed nervous. The only one to not completely devote himself to keeping Eren alive was Kagami, who only continued to glare the teen.

"So, this is where you've been hiding," a voice said.

Everyone turned to see a blonde young man enter into the light.

"Ryouta?" Eren asked.

"Nice to know all of you guys are mentally prepared for what's to come," Kise said.

"What're you doing here?" Eren asked.

Kise glanced around everyone present, sizing everyone up. He could count how many would not survive the operation, just based on looking at them. His gazed for for a moment on Kagami, who stared back with a confused expression.

"What's your deal, Grumpy-pants?"

"Huh?"

No one could hold in their laughter and the room burst into hysterics. Even the most stoic of people let out a chuckle.

"Oh, man. Grumpy-pants. That's hilarious," Connie said.

"If anyone calls me that, I swear I'll kill you," Kagami replied.

"Settle down, Grumpy-pants," Ymir said.

"Especially, you!"

Kise had heard their entire conversation and arguments. He knew they needed some form of levity. If he was being honest, he had no idea that guy was there. He chuckled to himself and walked over to Eren.

"Let's go. You've been gone long enough," Kise said.

Eren nodded. "Right, sorry."

"Yeah, I just got tired to Captain Levi's judgmental gaze for the last three hours," Kise said. He then turned to everyone present. "You all should get some rest. They're still preparations to be done for the expedition."

"Yes, sir," everyone replied, laughter still in their voices.

—-

When everyone dispersed, Kagami walked by himself back towards the barracks. He grumbled to himself about the name the blonde had given him. He knew it was going to catch on and people were going to use it whenever they were going to make fun of him. He could take it, but it would just become annoying.

"Damn that blonde asshole," Kagami grumbled.

"Someone's in a bad mood," a voice said.

Kagami turned to see Aemila walking behind him. He let out an annoyed sigh and turned forwards again.

"What do you want?" Kagami asked, annoyance in his voice.

"You said some pretty harsh things back there. Though you never seemed like the kinda guy who'd mince words," Aemilia replied.

"I was just speaking my mind."

"You don't trust Eren, do you?"

Kagami stopped walking and turned towards the girl, who was a few steps behind him. He sized her up and tried to get as much information about her as he could with just a look.

"I don't trust too many people. I don't trust you either," Kagami said.

"But you trust that Josh guy," Aemilia retorted.

Kagami let out a humorless chuckle. "Not particularly."

"No, I think you do. You trust him enough to keep the fact you're suicidal a secret," Aemilia said.

Kagami's eyes widened. He knew he never said anything about it to anyone. He may have given hints to it, but never outright confirmed it.

"No use in denying it. Your reaction gives it away," Aemilia added.

Kagami walked towards her and used his height to intimidate her. Though it seemed like she did not even budge. "How do you know about that?"

"You're not the only one who's good at reading people," Aemilia said with a sly smile forming on her face.

There was silence between the two. They simply held eye contact, not even blinking.

"Oh, there you are Taiga!" a familiar voice called out.

"Looks like we'll have to finish this another time," Aemilia said before turning on her heel and walking away.

"Who was that?"

Kagami looked to the side to see Christa standing next him. He gaze was fixed on the ever shrinking form of Aemilia as she walked away.

"Someone I don't trust," Kagami said as his gaze narrowed.

 **AN: And with that this chapter comes to an end. It's been about a month since I last uploaded a chapter for this story, sorry about that, but life always gets in the way. This is a more talky chapter, but it sets up certain things that are to come. One of the big things to come is the expedition. I got some cool things planned for this arc, so I hope you'll look forward to that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned for the next one. If you're enjoying feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Also, follow me on Twitter. I give story and life updates as well as other stuff you might like.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Riding Into the Unknown

On the morning of the operation, the Scouts were assembled behind the gate of Karanese District. They formed one giant line, in where all the soldiers were assembled and the supply carts took up most of the space. To the sides were the people of the district. They had different expressions on their faces. Some were in awe of the Scouts, others seemed to be more displeased at the sight, some were just curious to see them. For the veterans this was a common occurrence. The people would always gather, voice their admiration as they left and kept quiet their grievances. No doubt if they returned beaten and bloodied, that admiration was replaced by contempt and anger.

Kuroko could not help but feel the stares some people sent his way. His nickname was all he could hear people say when they saw him. Kuroko sighed, while Hange laughed. His squadmates chuckled as well. Pushing his nickname aside, he focused on the people around him, specifically the recruits. He hoped that things would run smoothly, but that kind of optimism was never rewarded. His gaze then fell towards Kise, who was riding with Levi's squad. He looked comfortable among the group, despite being on it for only a month. He could not think of anyone better to protect Eren than him.

In the formation, Kuroko's squad was placed close to Eren's in order to provide support. Though Kuroko was the only one who knew exactly were Eren was being positioned. His squad had a vague idea, but nothing concrete. The same was with all the other soldiers. Each team was different location for Eren. This would help guarantee that his position would remain a mystery.

Then, the sound of the gate opening rang out. Kuroko snapped his attention forwards, the operation was about to begin. Slowly the light from the other side of the wall peeked through the ever increasing opening of the gate. For Kuroko, this was normal, but every time he could feel a tinge of nervousness. Once they were past the ruins, he would be able to collect himself. With a clang, the gate finished opening, and sunlight obscured everyone's vision to the outside. In the silence the cracking of reins rang out and the sound of a horse followed. Kuroko looked up to see Commander Erwin, on his white steed, beginning to rally everyone.

"Scouts! Move out!"

What followed was the thunderous noise of horse hooves on the dirt road. The 57th Scouting Expedition had begun.

—-

Kagami rode forth, his superiors urging him forwards. As they passed through the gate, Kagami got a good look at the outside. To his sides were abandoned homes that time had ravaged, while up above him was the blue sky dotted with white clouds. He could not help but look up to the blue sky. It felt like a different sky now that he was outside the wall. A wild, untamed sky, just like the land around him. He ignored how a titan had appeared within the ruins as he continued to look towards the sky.

"Forward soldiers!" Commander Erwin called out, his voice seemed to amplified by the walls around them. "We're almost clear of the city ruins, ride for all you're worth!"

His words spurred everyone to go forwards faster, even the veterans picked up their pace. Once people began to exit from the ruins, the formation began to spread out. When Kagami made it out he began to veer to the right, as he was positioned close to edge of the right wing. That meant that he would have to relay signals second. The recruits closest to Kagami were trying to collect themselves by telling morbid jokes as sendoffs, something Kagami made sure to not take part in. He simply rolled his eyes and continued with the first objective.

"Hey, Taiga!" a voice called out.

Kagami looked to the side to see Christa riding up next to him.

"What's up?"

"Try to survive out there," Christa said, her voice laced with concern.

Kagami chuckled lightly. "Anything can happen out here. You best keep your attention on staying alive."

Christa nodded and Kagami continued to the right, leaving Christa behind. It would not be long before he would be alone, but still have people close by, divided by a few yards. He made it to his position and slowed down his pace a bit. He scanned his surroundings, it was pretty barren all around him, save for a few trees here and there. He had memorized the route, and knew there would be abandoned villages every so often, but he would not run into one for a long period of time.

For the first time, in a long time, there was silence around Kagami. The only thing he could hear was the sound of horse hooves hitting the ground. He was alone, with only his thoughts to keep him company. His mind drifted to what Tatsuya would think of all this. Would he have joined the Scouts with him, or would he had stayed in the Garrison? The thought of the Garrison made him think of the blonde that had called him 'Grumpy Pants'. The thought of his smug face pissed off Kagami more than ever.

 _Though, the guy is part of Levi Squad, and they're supposed to be the best in the Scouts. That would make him my superior._

Kagami was broken form his thoughts, when the sound of a gun shot rang out. He looked to the sky to see streaks of red smoke, it was the signal guns. He locked in a red flare and fired it forwards, leaving a trail of red smoke. Kagami mentally prepared himself for titans to start swarming him, as he was closest to edge of the formation. A few minutes later, another shot could be heard. Kagami looked up to see a trail a black smoke.

 _Black? That means an abnormal,_ Kagami thought. He then rolled his eyes in annoyance. _Great. Things just got a whole lot harder._

Out of the corner of his eye, Kagami could see the green smoke. That was the Commander's signal for a change in direction. Kagami cracked the reins of his horse and began to change direction. It was better to avoid as many titans as possible, especially if it is an abnormal.

When the change in direction began, Kagami could hear the sound of another set of horse hooves. Whoever it was, they were coming towards him fast. He looked to the side to see a familiar person racing towards him. It was Aemilia, with a panicked look on her face.

"Weren't you supposed to be on the edge of the right flank?" Kagami asked as she got closer.

"Everyone's gone!"

"What?" Kagami asked, raising an eyebrow.

"All of a sudden, a bunch of titans just appeared. Among them was a weird looking abnormal," Aemilia explained.

Kagame looked past her to see a herd of titans gaining on them. It would only be a matter of time before they would reach them. He could faintly make out the abnormal Aemilia had mentioned. The only thing he could discern was its skin appeared to be red, similar to the Colossal Titan.

 _Wait a minute,_ Kagami thought. His expression changing to a more pensive one, something that Aemilia caught.

"We'll have to fight them," Kagami said, after being silent for a few moments.

"Are you crazy? We can't take on that many!"

"You have a better idea?"

Aemilia went silent, and Kagami took that as her answer.

"There's an abandoned village not too far if we keep going in this direction. We'll fight them there," Kagami said.

"How do you know that?"

"I memorized the map."

Kagami then locked in a red canister and fired it. He then shot a black one right after. Even if they went down fighting, he had to make sure the rest of the regiment know a bit of what was going on.

When they reached the village, the titans had gained on them. The two quickly abandoned their horses, who continued to run. Kagami hoped they would not get far, but did not feel optimistic about that.

When the herd got closer, Kagami got a good look at the abnormal. It appeared to be skinless, except for patches of white in different areas. It had shoulder length blonde hair, and cold blue eyes. The most defining feature was that the titan look oddly feminine. Titans always appeared to be of no gender, their faces being the only clue to that, but the abnormal was definitely feminine.

"Hey, quit staring at the monster," Aemilia said, breaking Kagami from his thoughts.

"I was not staring, I was analyzing," Kagami replied. "Something is off here. The abnormal seems to be leading the other titans."

Kagami watched as the herd got closer. It would not be long before the titans reached them, but he wanted to make sure he had as much information as possible. Just before the two were forced into action, Kagami pieced it together.

 _The female looking titan is not an abnormal, but someone who could transform. The regular titans are chasing after it, not following it_.

Before he could relay the information to Aemilia, he was forced into battle. The titans' attention was changed from the female titan to him and Aemilia. Kagami drew his blades and began to take down titans. Zipping across the rooftops, Kagami got into the position he needed to slash a titan's nape. He was drenched in blood by the time all the titans had been killed. Kagami landed on a roof top and surveyed the carnage. The titans steamed as they slowly began to decompose. Aemilia landed next to him, also drenched in titan blood.

"You okay?"

"I'm alive, if that's what you're asking," Aemilia retorted.

In the distance, the female titan continued its path. The fact that it had avoided them only served to solidify Kagami's theory. He had to catch up to it, to prove he was right.

"Come on. We gotta catch up to it," Kagami said jumping off the rooftop.

"Are you crazy? We just killed a dozen titans and you want to go after the abnormal?!"

Kagami did not respond and whistled for his horse. The sound of hoofbeats filled the abandoned village and Kagami's horse appeared. Kagami jumped on his horse and cracked the reins to get the horse to speed up.

"He really is suicidal," Aemilia mutter before whistling for her horse.

Kagami looked back to see Aemila was slowly catching up. He looked ahead to see the female titan engaging with a group of Scouts, and form the looks of things they were getting slaughtered. Kagami watched as they got killed, but the female titan never made the effort to eat anyone. It was just brutally killing anyone who attacked it. The sight of it solidified Kagami's theory even more.

"Pick up the pace!" Kagami called out behind him.

 _I should have enough gas to distract it. I just need to ascertain things._

Kagami jumped off his horse and landed on a rooftop. He watched as the titan crushed someone in its hand, cringing at the sound of a human body being crushed. Before the titan could move on, Kagami sped in front of it to get its attention. He could see its cold gaze on him as he passed in front of it. He landed on a rooftop and the titan turned to Kagami. The two locked eyes and only stared at each other. The more Kagami stared, the more familiar the gaze felt.

 _I feel like I've seen those cold eyes before._

What followed happened so fast, Kagami was not sure how he was still alive. The titan formed a fist and brought it toward Kagami. He reacted quickly and launched himself off the rooftop and towards another. As Kagami landed, the titan swept its leg and the house he was standing on began to crumble. Kagami jumped off and a shadow enveloped him. He saw the titan's leg moving to crush him against the next building. Acting quickly, Kagami fired his cables to the ground and narrowly avoided the kick. Using the moment of unbalance, Kagami got some space between him and the titan. The titan's cold gaze turned towards him. It almost held him place, but he moved to the next available rooftop.

"Hey, Taiga!"

Kagami looked down to see Aemila hiding behind a building on her horse. Kagami jumped down and hugged the wall. He had no idea if the titan knew where he was, but he still needed to confirm one more thing.

"I need you to ride towards the Commander, or any of the CO's, and tell them the abnormal is a person who can transform into a titan," Kagami said.

"Why just me?" Aemilia asked.

"Because, I think I know who it is, but I'm not sure," Kagami said.

Aemila was silent for a moment. Kagami noticed how quiet she had gotten, but did not mention it.

"How're you going to do that?" Aemilia asked after a period of silence.

"I'm going to fight it."

Aemilia sighed. "You really are suicidal. I'll tell them."

"Go!"

Before Kagami could say something else, the house they were hiding behind was crushed. Kagami looked up to see the titan staring down at them.

"Get out of here!"

Aemilia cracked the reins of her horse and moved as fast as she could. She caught the titan's attention, as its gaze shifted towards her.

"Oh, no you don't," Kagami muttered.

He shot a cable towards the titan, which caused it to immediately switch targets after latching onto its skin. The titan stood up straight, and took Kagami with it. It moved its hand to grab the cable, but Kagami quickly recalled it. Before he could fall to the ground, he latched it to another building and landed on its rooftop.

"There's someone in control, right?!" Kagami shouted.

The titan froze, it did not even face Kagami. Kagami took in a nervous breath and released it in order to compose himself.

"You're after Eren, right? Or are you after something else?"

The titan still did not move. Kagami could not read its emotions, its face was blank. If he kept talking, he might figure something out.

"Whatever you're after, you're going though a lot of trouble for it."

Kagami went silent again, watching for the titan's next move.

"Wanna know how I figured it out? You were being attacked by titans, just like Eren was in Trost. Also, you didn't eat the Scouts you killed. You just up and killed them. Gotta say it was pretty brutal how one of them went out."

The sound of a human body being crushed repeated in his brain. He pushed it aside, he had to keep talking. It was what was keeping him alive.

"It begs the question, who's in control? It has to be someone who has no regard for human life."

As Kagami finished his sentence, the titan spun into action and used its leg to destroy the house he was on. Kagami managed to jump out of the way in just enough time to avoid getting crushed. Then, something dawned on him.

 _Using kicks as attacks. Plus, the reflexes I saw before. It couldn't be…_

Kagami looked towards the titan. They locked gazes once again, and this time the titans blank, cold expression shifted to one of anger. An expression Kagami had seen before. Kagami's eyes widened, he knew who was in control. The titan seemed to be able to read Kagami's expression and moved for another attack.

Kagami was too engrossed in realization that he did not notice the wall he had latched onto was getting closer. He could not slow down enough in time to avoid crashing, but enough for it to hurt less. However, the brittle wall broke as Kagami collided with it causing him to go into the abandoned home.

Kagami felt groggy as he slowly sat up. When the dizziness went away, he checked to make sure his gear was still in good condition. From the quick check, everything seemed to be working. Then, the sunlight that peered through the hole he made was covered. Kagami looked up to see a giant eyeball staring at him. He was not sure if the titan could see him, but he stayed stock still. The titan then stood up letting light enter again. For a moment, Kagami thought he was fine, but then the roof began to cave in.

 _Crap, it wants to crush me in this house._

Kagami sprinted to the hole he made and jumped out of the house just before the roof fell on him. He landed on the ground and began to breath heavily. He waited for the moment when the titan would kill him, but it never came. Kagami sat up and surveyed the area, and saw that the titan had moved on from the abandoned village. He could see its giant form beginning to shrink in the distance.

"I'm alive," Kagami muttered. _Did she really think the building killed me?_

Kagami then began to stand up, his whole body hurt. Though, crashing into a wall would hurt anyone. When he felt a bit less pain, Kagami whistled for his horse, who was, thankfully, still close by. He jumped on his horse, ignoring his pained back, and cracked the reins. In the distance, he could see red smoke, so he knew which direction he needed to go.

 _I have to tell the CO's who is in control of that titan._

—

The amount of red flares Kise was seeing worried him. It had only been maybe an hour or two before all the smoke appeared. What worried him the most was the black flare, that meant an abnormal was running about. It did not ease his nerves when a second stream of black appeared. Compared to him, the other members of Levi Squad seemed more relaxed. This was probably something the Scouts always experienced, but it was new to Kise.

"Shouldn't we be worried by the amount of red smoke we're seeing? Not to mention, the black smoke too," Kise called out.

"It's entirely possible the the right side of the formation is in danger, but we can't worry about that. We have to stay on mission, which is to keep going forward," Eld replied.

"What's wrong, rookie? Piss your pants already?" Oluo asked.

Kise ignored his comment and focused on Eld's. He understood what they had to do, which was to reach Shiganshina at all costs. He could only wonder how many people were dying on the right side. How many had died to the abnormal alone.

"Keep your eyes front, rookie."

Kise looked up to see Captain Levi had turned to him.

"If you get caught up thinking, you're going to die. Focus on the mission."

Kise nodded and Levi turned his gaze forwards again.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kise could see green smoke in the distance. He wondered why they were changing course. The amount of red and black that filled the air should have caused the mission to stop. He looked towards Levi, who also noticed the smoke.

"Green smoke." Levi turned to Oluo. "Pass it on."

Oluo nodded and locked in a green smoke canister. He held it up in the air and fired.

"Reporting, sir!" a voice called out.

The whole squad looked to the direction where the voice came from to see a messenger pulling up beside them.

"An oral message. It appears the right-wing spotter have been wiped out."

The messaged caused for everyone's eyes to widen in surprise. For Kise it felt like his gut feeling was right. Something extremely unexpected had happened in order for everyone to be killed.

"The early warning network had been compromised," the Scout continued. "One of you will have to relay the message down the line."

There was a brief moment of silence as Levi contemplated on who to send. He then turned to Petra.

"You heard the man, Petra. Go on. Go tell Tetsuya."

Petra nodded. "Sir!" She then turned the reins of her horse and changed her course left.

Kise wondered why Levi had not sent him instead. He could only wonder if it was because he was still so new to the Scouts. Kise then turned to Eren, distress was evident in his expression. It was possible he was thinking about his friends in the right-wing, as most of the recruits were placed there. He could not blame him. In truth, he was worried too, but he did not show it. He had to keep himself focused on the mission, just as Levi had said.

A gun shot could be heard again, this time a lot closer. Kise looked up to see three pillars of black smoke. Kise now could not hide his worry any longer. The last time he had seen red and black, it was farther in the distance. He could barely make it out. Now that it was so close, he could not help but let a small amount of fear show.

"Eren! Fire the signal," Levi called out.

"Yes, sir!"

Kise looked towards Levi. He seemed to be muttering something to himself. It was likely that he commented on the formations viability. Kise began to follow a similar train of thought. If the titans could get so far into the formation, how had the Scout's reputation been better as of late. He pushed those thoughts aside. He did not want doubt with the path he chose to hinder his instincts. He was a Scout now, and he had to act like it.

—-

Seeing so much smoke in the air, and so far into the formation, worried Kuroko more than his expression said. Petra had just left after tell him the message about the right wing. He ordered Conner to continue the chain and that left only him and Momoi. The members of his squad Jonathan, Simon, and Rachel were on Levi Squad's right side. He hoped that the abnormal had not reached them yet, but he could not be certain, not until they reached the forest. He looked behind him to see Momoi trying her best to steel her nerves. Kuroko could not blame her, everything was going so poorly, even if it was all part of the plan. He had to assume Erwin knew what was going on, as that was the only reason the plan was still in motion. So many people dead, and they had yet to reach the forest.

 _We managed to hook the bait. The fact an abnormal is so far in means that it's a human that can transform. The fact it made so far in means it's not the Colossal, as that thing would move too slow. It could be the Armored, but it's moving too fast. It is someone else entirely?_

Kuroko tried to wrap his head around the situation as best he could. The only thing he could firmly say was that the abnormal was a new enemy, someone the Scouts, or anybody, had ever encountered. He had no doubt that discord was happening among those who were remaining, mainly everyone on the left side of the formation. Kuroko could not blame them. In any other situation, the mission would have been called off. But today was not one of those days. The purpose of this mission was kept in the dark to everyone in the regiment, even to the person riding next to him.

 _When this is all over, all your deaths won't be in vain._

"Tetsu!"

Kuroko looked up to see Momoi pointing to something ahead of them. He could see that the forest was coming into view. Now the plan was really in motion.

"Why're we going there?"

Kuroko turned to his left to see Conner returning to the squad.

"This won't get us to Shiganshina faster. It's in the opposite direction," Momoi said.

Kuroko hated not being able to tell them the plan. "I don't know. For now, we follow the Commander."

Kuroko knew what he had to do. He had to join the center rank into the forest. However, the other two on his team were to go around. He had to lie to them, again. He took in a breath to calm his nerves, he was still their Captain.

"You two keep going. I'm going to join the center rank."

His two comrades looked at him in confusion.

"Why the hell are you doing that?" Conner asked.

"Commander's orders. He told me yesterday that when reached a certain point to join the center," Kuroko lied. It hurt him so much to lie. The lie he was telling would likely get his squadmates killed, but he had to. He had to kept the mission's secrecy.

"If the Commander said that, then don't disobey his orders," Momoi said.

Conner looked at her in confusion. "You can't be serious. This has never been a thing."

"Something about this mission is off, but I have to trust the Commander regardless. If Tetsuya trusts him, then I do too," Momoi said.

Conner let out a defeated exhale. "Fine. Just stay alive out there."

Kuroko nodded and cracked the reins, ushering the horse forwards. Momoi and Conner watched as their captain disappeared into the center rank.

"Guess you're in charge now," Conner said.

Momoi nodded in response. "Only the center rank will fit through the forest path. We'll have to go around."

"This mission just keeps on getting weirder."

—

It took Kagami way too long to catch up to the rest of the Regiment. He was only able to catch up because of all the smoke signals. The amount of black meant that the Female Titan had gotten even farther into the formation. He hoped the Aemilia had managed to get his message to any of CO's, but something about her raised red flags in Kagami's mind. Despite how scared she was about facing off against the abnormal, when it had found them she had a very neutral expression. He could only guess what was running through her head.

As he got closer to the regiment, he saw a forest coming into view. He remembered seeing it on the map, but it was not something they would run into. Why would the Commander change their course so drastically?

"Hey, Taiga!"

Kagami looked to where the voice had called out to him, to see Reiner, Armin, Jean, Christa, and a few of the others waving towards him. Kagami cracked the reins fo his horse and sped up to catch up with them. Despite his expression, he was glad to see many of his fellow 104th members still alive.

"So you're still alive," Josh said as Kgami joined the group.

Kagami nodded. "Had a close call with the female looking titan."

Everyone's expression paled at the mention of the titan. Kagami could only assume that they had also encountered it too.

"You saw her too?" Reiner asked.

"Her?" Kagami asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Since it looks feminine," Armin explained.

Kagami shrugged in response. He turned his attention to the trees on his left. They were the tallest things he had ever seen. He could hear Armin and Jean's conversation about the state of things, and he had to agree with Jean. Everything did not feel like it was going according to plan.

"Taiga."

Kagami stopped looking at the trees and looked to his right. Christa had slowed down in order to ride next to him.

"Glad to see you're alive."

"The same goes for me. When I saw all that red and black, I got worried," Christa replied.

"I told you to only worry about yourself. Worrying about others is only going to get you hurt, or worse."

"Still a pessimist."

"I call it being a realist."

"All soldiers, halt!" The leading Scout called out.

Kagami looked forward to see that their superior had come to a stop. The others came to a halt as well, following his orders.

"Alright, rookies! Listen up! We're assuming intercept position within the trees. Unsheathe and find a perch. If any titans attempt to enter the forest, we take them out."

The orders confused everyone present. Everyone thought that the mission was to go around the trees to meet up with the center rank.

"Excuse me, sir? What is the-"

"I've given you an order!" Their superior said, cutting off Jean. "Tie your horses to a tree and find a perch."

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" Jean asked what everyone was thinking.

Their superior yelled one more time for them to get a move on and it spurred everyone to take action. They tied their horses and found a big enough branch to support them. Kagami found his and let out a relieved sigh. He had survived and regrouped with the Scouts, he may yet come out alive. His eyes scanned everyone present, trying to find Aemilia, but he could not see her. The only blonde girl present was Christa.

"Hey, has anyone seen Aemilia?"

Everyone around him shook their heads.

"She was part of the right-wing spotters, right?" Reiner asked.

"That means she's probably dead," Jean added

"She isn't. She and I took on the Female Titan. Well, it was really just me," Kagami argued.

"Well, we haven't seen her," Armin said.

"What's so important about her anyway?" Reiner asked.

"I told her to tell a CO that the titan is one with a human controlling it," Kagami answered.

"Yeah, we figured that out too when we engaged her," Armin said.

"I told her to go on ahead and tell someone, I guess she never did if everything's gone to shit."

"What else happened?" Josh asked.

"After she left, you mean?"

Josh nodded in response.

Kagami looked at the others present, their expression giving away wanting to know about his experience. He let out a breath and began to collect his thoughts.

"After she left, I wanted to figure out who was in control. So I talked to her. Baited her to get a reaction. Her cold expression did not change, until I mentioned Eren. She then looked she she panicked and began to attack me."

"And you survived?" Christa asked.

Kagami nodded in response. "I didn't come out unscathed though." He lifted his shirt to show everyone his bruised back. A few cringed at the sight of it, while Christa was ready to try to heal it. "Don't worry about it. It doesn't hurt enough to treat yet."

"Well, did you figure out who it was?" Reiner asked.

Kagami's eyes darted to him, eyes narrowing. While he had figured it out, he wanted to tell a CO, Erwin or Levi. Telling everyone here was how word would get out too quickly. His gaze then shifted to Josh. He had a wanting gaze. He wanted to know who it was as well, and likely, everyone else present. However, Josh would be crushed if he knew. His eyes shifted one more time towards Reiner, it was best not to say anything and wait to reveal it to the Commander.

"No, I couldn't. She couldn't speak so I did most of the talking."

"That was anticlimactic," Jean said.

"Sorry. I wish I had more info to give. Though the way she attacked and moved felt familiar. As did her cold expression. Though, a lot of people have looked at me like that before."

"Can't say we saw her fighting style that much. Right, Armin?" Jean said turning to the the blonde.

Everyone's gaze shifted to Armin, who looked deep in thought. Kagami was sure he had given him a lot to work with in terms of who was controlling the Female Titan. Kagami, however, could feel the holes Reiner burned into the back of his head with his eyes. Kagami wondered if he knew he was holding back information. He chose to ignore it for now, but kept the thought in the back of his mind.

—-

When Levi Squad entered the forest, Kise knew something was up. Something they were not being told. Something that the Captain knew about and refused to tell them. He knew better than to vocalize his worries, but around him he could feel the others tense as they continued to ride. Kise looked towards Eren, whose unease was growing. It would soon reach a breaking point and he had no idea how it would affect the others.

Kise could only wonder how everyone else was fairing. His mind drifted to Kuroko and Momoi. They were on the left-wing, so they likely never encountered the abnormal. Now that everything had changed, he could only speculate on what would happen next. His mind raced through the different scenarios, but all of them ended the same: any titans in the forest would attack them.

"Captain! Captain Levi!"

Kise looked up, Eren's voice breaking him from his thoughts. The boy had reached his limit and he was consumed by worry and just a bit of fear.

"What?" Levi's tone seemed like his was irritated, not by the situation, but by Eren's own worried tone.

"C'mon, sir! We're in a forest. We won't see a titan until it's right on top of us."

Kise could see his expression clearly, the teen was uneasy about the while situation. Kise could not blame him. While he felt similarly, he knew how to hide it better.

"The center rank's totally cut off. Something's coming up on the right, isn't it? What're we supposed to do? Avoid titans or defend the wagons?"

Kise's eyes darted in that direction. They all knew about the right-wing being annihilated, but by what was something they did not know. He carefully looked into the trees, trying to find if anything was out of place.

"Keep your eyes forward," Eld said.

"Eren's right. Something could come at us from the right," Kise argued.

"I'm not saying I disagree with you. You need to keep yourself focused on moving forward. We can't worry about what's coming at us from the sides," Eld replied.

Kise could barely hear it, but Eld sounded like even he did not believe what he was saying. Even one of the members of Levi's elite team was uncertain about what was going on.

"Quit whining and move on from the obvious already." Levi said.

His voice snapping Kise's attention forwards.

"Neither of those is an option anymore."

"What're you talking about?" Eren asked.

"Haven't you noticed what's around you? Take a look at these big ass trees."

Kise looked around as well. The trees were humongous. He then realized what Levi was getting at.

"It's the perfect environment for ODM gear, right? Take my advice, Eren. Calm down and use you head. The best survival tool is your brain."

"Yes, sir!"

Kise felt as if the captains word were for everyone, as well as Eren. The blonde took a moment to take a breath and calm his nerves down. It was better to be level headed in these types of situations. His nerves stemmed from it being the first time he was on a mission with the Scouts. He could only assume that everyone's first mission is always stressful. That stress was something he needed to get used to.

Kise then turned to the soldiers around him, making sure he was not the only one feeling stressed. To his surprise, everyone had a worried look to them. Even Eld, who had just spoken to him about staying calm, was drenched by nervous sweat. He could faintly make out Oluo muttering something under his breath. He then locked eyes with Eren, worry returning to his expression.

 _So, every one of us had no idea what's happening. I'm guessing only Levi knows. That means if he knows, the Commander does as well. Then how come everyone else has the same expression. I get if I don't know, I'm new to all this, but the rest of them feels way too weird._

"Black smoke!" Oluo called out.

Kise looked back to see a pillar of black smoke rising into the air through the tree line.

"Damn thing's been on our ass since we entered this place," Eld said.

"Wait, the same abnormal has been chasing us?" Kise asked.

Eld nodded. "Probably. I doubt it'd still be behind us otherwise."

"Blades drawn, now!" Levi ordered as he drew his own blades. "It'll happen in the blink of an eye. Be ready."

Kise looked around him, all the others had the same expression: fear. Kise steeled himself as best he could and drew his blades. An abnormal was going to attack them behind and he had to be ready. From behind a tree, a Scout appeared. Kise's eyes widened, recognizing who it was. It was Simon from Kuroko's team. Before he could say anything, a large hand swatted him to the ground, killing him instantly. Kise saw the abnormal that was chasing them. It looked feminine. Shoulder length blonde hair, cold blue eyes. It appeared skinless as its body was red. It burst from within the trees and onto the road behind them.

"GO! Move it!" Levi yelled.

Kise brought his attention forwards and tried to ride faster.

"Holy shit! How the hell are we supposed to pull evasive maneuvers in here?!" Gunther cried out.

"It's catching up!" Eld called out.

"Captain! Engage the ODM gear?" Petra asked trying to control the fear in her voice.

The sound of ODM gear filled their ears. Kise looked back to see two more Scouts approaching from behind. He recognized them too, Rachel and Jonathan from Kuroko's team.

"Rear reinforcements!" Petra called out, a small amount of control returning to her voice.

Jonathan shot a cable towards the Female Titan's head, but she moved her head to side dodging it. She then grabbed the cable and pulled Jonathan forwards. He barely let out a scream as she crushed him with her shoulder on a tree. Rachel tried to get away, but the Female Titan grabbed her retracting cable and pulled Rachel into her hand. Without a second thought, and not even a scream from Rachel, she was crushed in the titan's hand. Kise watched as the titan tossed her aside without a care.

"It killed them. Half of Kurokocchi's team is dead. Are you next, Kurokocchi, Momocchi?" Kise muttered.

"Captain! Your orders!" Petra cried out.

"Let me go after it!" Kise bellowed. "I swear I'll kill it!"

The others followed Kise's words and asked to engage the titan. However, Levi remained silent. His attention focused on moving forwards. Kise wondered if he even glanced behind them. Everyone begged the Captain for orders, but not a word from Levi. Kise agreed with them. All their strength combined, they could take her out. So why was Levi so silent? Why was he not giving orders?

"Everyone, cover your ears. Now."

"What?" everyone said in unison.

Levi then held up one of the guns that fired the smoke. Kise wondered what was the point of that. When he got a better look at the canister, it was not the usual smoke signal colors. It was grey. He pulled the trigger, instead of a pillar of smoke, a loud, high-pitched ringing burst forth. Even with his ears covered, Kise could feel his eardrums wanting to explode.

"Was that an acoustic round?" Eren asked.

Levi glanced towards him. "Remind me, what is our mission? Is it to simply act on impulse in the heat of the moment? Let me answer that question for you. It's not. This squad's mission is to keep this brat alive, whatever the cost. Don't forget it."

Levi went silent for a moment, allowing everyone to process his words. Kise could see more relaxed expressions return to everyone's faces. Kise took a moment to collect himself and focus on the mission.

"We keep pushing forward on horseback. Is that clear?"

"As a bell, sir!" Petra answered for everyone.

"But for how long? We can't keep running forever," Eren argued.

Kise had to agree with Eren. The fact that the Female Titan could practically just grab them made his survival instincts kick in. He wanted to fight. He wanted to avenge Kuroko's slain comrades. He wanted to kill it before Kuroko and Momoi showed up. Kill it before he and the rest of Levi Squad were killed. He heard ODM gear again, causing him to break away from his thoughts. He looked back to see two more Scouts engaging the titan. He felt relieved that it was not Kuroko or Momoi, but he knew it would only be a matter of time until they arrived.

"They keep coming! They're all going to die unless we turn around and fight it!" Eren said.

"Eyes front! Stop looking behind us!" Gunther yelled.

Eren wanted to argue, but Eld continued Gunther's train of thought.

"Keep pace with the group. Maintain top speed or we're all dead!"

"If Levi Squad can't stop that thing, who can? Those men need us!"

"Just shut up, Eren!"

Everyone in the squad looked back to see Kise. His expression conveyed a range of emotions, but the one most evident was anger.

"They're slowing it down while we keep going forward. If they die then… then they die. I may have just watched my friend's comrades die, but that won't stop me from completing the mission. My mission is to keep you alive. That was my condition for joining the Scouts. When Captain Levi gives the order to attack, you be your ass I'm going to tear that thing to shreds."

"But, Ryouta…" Eren began to say. He then glanced at his hand. The thought that raced through Eren's mind was plain as day. He wanted to go solo and transform. He brought his hand to his mouth, determined to transform.

"No, Eren! Stop!" Petra yelled.

Eren stopped and turned towards Petra.

"You're only allowed to transform when your life's in extreme peril. That was the agreement. You swore an oath!"

Eren seemed to contemplate her words, but he did not follow them. He was determined to transform. Petra tried to reach out to him again, but his determination was outweighing anything else.

"I wouldn't blame you," Levi said. All focused immediately switched to him. "Do as your conscience dictates. Listen, Eren. You aren't inherently evil. Your ability to change doesn't make you a monster. That said, it could be the other way around. How're you supposed to know where to draw the line? Whether you lose control or freely give it up. Maybe it's the same. Look, Eren. We don't agree because our experience makes our views differ. That's just life. At the end of the day there's no reason to go against how you see it. The choice is yours. You can trust yourself, or you can trust the people who will put their lives on the line for you. I don't know which way is better. I never have. Should I act on my own instincts, or put myself in the hands of my comrades and trust them. Either way there's no guarantee. In the end, you choose what you choose. If afterwards you don't regret anything, good for you."

Eren carefully thought about Levi's words. It was obvious the teen had actually let the gears in his mind spin. He then made his decision. He removed his hand from his mouth and pressed on with the squad.

Kise meanwhile let out a sigh of relief. The Captain's way with words allowed for him to get across even the hardest of heads. Even Kise calmed down from his words. The only thing they could do was press on and trust their comrades and captain. Kise trusted them. He could only hope Eren could continue to as well.

Kise could see Eren looking back again. Kise's eyes widened as he saw Eren bring his hand back up to his mouth. Had Captain Levi's words entered one ear and went out the other? Or was his resolve to transform that great just to save one person?

"Eren," Petra said. "Trust us."

Kise could see Eren's eyes go wide. He could only guess he was remembering the day when he transformed by accident. It had caused everyone to turn on him almost instantly. He remembered quickly coming to Eren's defense, while the other members of Levi Squad had their blades drawn. Kuroko was present that day as well. He and Hange were both tasked with investigating his abilities. Kise remembered Kuroko also trying to clam everyone down. When everything was cleared up later in the night, the others bit their hands in solidarity and as an apology. Kise followed their lead and did it as well, a bite mark had etched onto his skin and it had yet to fade. That day it had all been about trusting each other, something that was mirrored by their current predicament. Kise glanced at the bite mark that had yet to fade, it was oddly comforting to look at. It was as if that was their mark of trust, even more than the symbols they wore as Scouts.

"Eren! Make up your damn mind!" Levi yelled. His patience was wearing thing.

"I trust all of you!"

Eren's declaration was followed by the death of another Scout. Meanwhile, he could only look forwards. Kise wanted to smile, but the situation they were in did not let him. He had always trusted Eren, since their first meeting in Trost. To know he trusted him and the rest of Levi Squad in return made everything feel less overwhelming.

Kise glanced back to see how close the titan was. His eyes widened to see that its running stance lowered as it began to speed up. Gunther called out that it sped up, but Levi told them to keep going; they would out run it. The titan got close enough that its shadow covered all of them. Kise knew that if it sped up anymore, then he would be the first one to be crushed. He steeled himself, ready to do something should the need arise. The titan held out an outstretched hand, determined to grab Eren.

Before it could, the squad raced past a clearing and saw a multitude of Scouts lying in wait. They also saw stacked boxes with holes in each of them. The squad let out a surprised gasp when they saw everything. The titan's faces then changed to a shocked expression as it too realized what was going on.

On one of the branches, Erwin held up his arm and quickly brought it down.

"FIRE!"

Explosion sounds filled the area as pointed cables fired from the stacked boxes. All the cables fired into the titan as it quickly brought its hands to cover its nape. Just as quickly as the explosions started, they finished.

Levi Squad continued to ride forwards, all surprised by what had just happened. They all looked back, trying to get a sense of what was going on.

"Keep going on horseback a bit further. Then switch to ODM gear. I have to break away for a little while. Eld's in charge until I get back. Tuck Eren somewhere out of sight and away from the Female Titan. And see to my horse," Levi ordered.

He then shot a cable to a tree and returned to where the other Scouts were. Kise watched as he faded from view. He let himself relax a bit. The hard part seemed to be over.

Back where the Female Titan was held, Levi arrived next to Erwin who was also with Kuroko. Levi looked towards Kuroko, who had a somber expression. He must have found out that three of his team were killed.

"Looks like your plan worked out, Erwin, Tetsuya," Levi said. He turned back to Female Titan. "She's not putting up much of a fight."

"That's no reason to let out guard down. Good work leading her here. I'm more than a little bit impressed," Erwin replied.

"We couldn't have without the rear contingent, whose lives bought us time. This belongs to them," Levi added, frustration in his voice.

"We lost valuable people to make it this far. I won't let their sacrifice be for nothing," Kurko said. He mutter the names of the three squadmates he had lost. He silently thanked that he ordered Momoi and Conner to go around and wait in the trees. If not, they would have been among the bodies littered on the forest floor.

"Is that so?" Erwin asked.

"Yes," Kuroko and Live answered at the same time.

"Because of their sacrifices, we can expose whoever this is," Levi added. "I can bet they're pissing themselves right about now."

Kuroko tightened his grip on his blades. The sight of the captured Female Titan, brought on more rage. The fact that she seemed terrified only served to amplify his rage.

 _When we cut you open, I hope it hurts. It'll be for Jonathan, Simon, Rachel, and everyone else you murdered today._

Kuroko was determined to have anyone else die today. He would accomplish that task no matter the cost.

 **AN: Finally, another chapter update. Sorry for taking so long, but life just gets in the way. I also had to familiarize myself with AoT's story, as I had forgotten a bit of what happens. With all that stuff out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing the part where Kagami figures out who the Female Titan is. He never outright says who he thinks it is, but he has a pretty good guess. Also, I'm planning something interesting with Aemilia's character, so I hope you look forward to what she brings. Next chapter comes something I've been planning since I first conceived this story. I hope to write it as good as I outlined it. Stay tuned for the next chapter, and I'll try to not take so long. If you're enjoying the story, feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Follow me on Twitter to get updates on story progress, life complications, and other shenanigans I post there.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Loss

Kuroko separated to join the central rank he had to make sure that the abnormal had yet to reach Hange and the supply corps. If the abnormal targeted them before Eren, then the whole mission would fail. As he rode towards the them, he looked to the sky to see pillars of smoke rising in the air. Red signaled a titan, black an abnormal, and yellow signaling that the right wing had been annihilated. No doubt everyone wanted to call the mission a failure and return to Karanese, but they got their answer in the form of green smoke, signaling to continue forward. Kuroko silently apologized to everyone that so many had died and would continue to die, because the objective of the mission demanded it. Erwin had told Kuroko that he would bear the weight of everyone that died, but Kuroko knew that his hands would be covered in the blood of all the dead Scouts they would lose today.

When he reached the supply wagons, he was relieved to see they were all intact. Many riding to see the Oriental captain was riding next to them, but did not speak up as they saw him moving towards Hange.

"You okay, Hange?"

"We haven't encountered the abnormal yet, but I can feel the unease growing among everyone here," Hange answered.

Kuroko nodded in agreement. "I get what you mean. Connor and Satsuki are both pretty rattled about all this. I wish I could tell them the truth."

"I do too, but we decided it was best to keep it a secret."

"Has anyone in your team pieced it together yet? I know you told Moblit, since he's you second in command."

Hange glanced back to the Scouts behind them before facing forwards again. "I'm sure they have theories. Though, they probably know what we're trying to do at this point."

"Possibly."

"Section Commander!"

Kuroko and Hange looked to the right to see Moblit pulling up next to them. He acknowledged Kuroko's presence with a respectful nod, which he returned.

"Any news?"

Moblit shook his head. "Only bad news. The right wing is pretty much gone and the abnormal is pushing further in. Based on its trajectory, however, it won't target us."

Hange nodded in acknowledgment. "I see. That gives us some breathing room. I can't help but worry about Levi Squad, though."

"What's left of the right side is slowing it down, but not by much. The abnormal will likely reach them when they enter the forest," Moblit added.

"Then the rear contingent will have to slow it down when that happens," Kuroko said.

"By the way, Tetsuya," Moblit said, turning to the Oriental captain. "The Commander ordered for the other half of your team to join the rear contingent."

Kuroko's eyes widened as he heard Moblit's words. The Commander had just sent the other half of his team to die. He could not believe it. He purposefully placed them where they were in order for the them to go into the trees. Why would Erwin do that? Why would he do it without telling him?

Hange watched as hundreds of thoughts were crossing Kuroko's mind in that moment. It was clear to them that as the surprise faded, anger quickly replaced it. However, they remained silent as Kuroko processed Moblit's words. It was best to not say anything yet. Hange could see Kuroko's hands tense and clutch the reins of his horse tighter. They knew exactly what would happen next.

Kuroko cracked the reins of his horse and darted forwards. He rode towards the Commander, anger etched onto his face. Hange watched as he raced forwards, not giving them a second glance.

"Shouldn't you have stopped him?" Moblit asked.

Hange shrugged in response. "It wouldn't have helped. He's angry now. A decision regarding his squad was made for him. We all know how protective Tetsuya can be."

"I just hope he doesn't do anything rash," Moblit said.

"We can only hope," Hange said. _Though, the expression he had was different. I've seen Tetsuya angry before, but that was different. It was only rage, nothing else._

 _—-_

When Kuroko reached the Commander's position, the anger within had subsided a bit. He no longer rode blindly with only rage pushing him forwards. He used the ride towards him to collect his thoughts, and quell his frustration. When the Commander was within his line of sight, his anger returned, but it was much more controlled.

"Commander Erwin!"

The two Scouts that rode next to Erwin looked back, but the Commander did not. The two Scouts looked between the Commander and Kuroko and slowed down to allow Kuroko to overtake them. When Kuroko reached the Commander, he finally turned to him. At first there was only silence between them. Based on the Commander's expression, he knew what Kuroko had caught up to him.

"Why'd you do it?" Kuroko asked, breaking the silence.

However, the Commander's response was turning his attention forwards again.

"Answer me, dammit! Why did you send my team to die?!" Kuroko could barely hold back the anger in his voice. The Commander was not answering his question, and it made his anger boil.

Once again Erwin remained silent _._

Kuroko's grip tightened on his reins, trying to deflect his anger elsewhere. "My team was supposed to protect Levi Squad form the sides. The rear contingent would slow down the abnormal when we reached the forest. So why did you send my team there?"

"It was necessary. Bolstering the rear contingents forces is what's needed to slow down the abnormal," Erwin finally said.

"Then why not order me, Satsuki, and Connor to do it? We're just as capable as Levi Squad to handle these kinds of situations," Kuroko argued.

Erwin's eyebrow rose. "Are you saying that the other half of your team isn't capable?"

Erwin had caught him off guard with that question. Did he really not have faith in Simon, Jonathan, and Rachel? All six of them had trained together. Just like Levi he hand picked his team. No, it was not doubt that he was feeling. It was worry. The abnormal they were facing was different compared to the Armored or Colossal Titans. He was worried that the lack of knowledge would get his team killed.

"That's not what I meant. We're facing an unknown foe. I don't like sending my team to face something without info," Kuroko replied.

"Then what's the point of this mission? Isn't it to make what was unknown known?" Erwin asked.

Another question that had caught him off guard. Kuroko shook his head. It was not that it caught him off guard, his frustration at the Commander's decision was obscuring the goal of the mission in his mind. He was the one the proposed the initial idea of the mission, Erwin solidified it. He knew that people were going to die on this mission, but when it came to losing his squadmates it felt personal. Kuroko took in a deep breath to calm himself down. He then turned to the Commander, who looked at him with understanding. They both knew the loss of Scouts was going to be high, and it was something they had to live with. Kuroko glanced down to his hands, he could already see his team's blood on them. No doubt Erwin already accepted how much blood would be on his hands today.

"I'm sorry for doubting your orders. It won't happen again," Kuroko said.

"No need for apologies. I need you at full strength for what comes next," Erwin replied.

Kuroko nodded. "We'll catch this son of a bitch."

—

Kuroko stared at the captured female titan from the branch he was perched on. His rage was boiling inside him. The monster that had killed his team and everyone else was right in front of him. He made sure to take in every detail of the titan. He wanted to memorize its body so he would be better prepared for what she was capable of. What frustrated him the most was that it knew to cover its nape. Levi was about to move in order to cut it down, but Erwin stopped him.

"I need some insurance. Second and third waves, fire!"

The sound of the harpoons firing filled the air as all the ones that had yet to shot were released all at once. Kuroko covered his ears as the harpoons piercing the titan's skin increased. Kuroko could the growing alarm on the titan's face. It brought a smile his face to see it in a somewhat helpless state. He hoped that the piercing harpoons inflicted the same amount of pain that she had dealt to the Scouts she killed. He took pleasure in that thought.

At the edge of the forest, where the other Scouts were placed, they could hear the sounds the firing harpoons made. They had been standing in the trees for so long that the sound unnerved more than anything. The building nervousness was not helped by all the titans that were at their feet. Some of the titans had begun their attempts at climbing. Most of the attempts ended in failure and their giant bodies fell back to the ground. One of their superiors, Nanaba, said that if the titans managed to climb any higher then they would have to do the same. However, she added that the mission would likely end soon.

To Kagami that meant that she knew the real purpose of the mission. Though at this point he had a pretty good idea of what was going on. The real purpose of the mission was to capture the Female Titan. The sound they were hearing meant that the Scouts had used some kind of weapon to capture it. His thoughts shuffled back to Aemilia, wondering where she had gone. It was likely that she was on the other side of the forest, or she could have been dead. He pushed those thoughts aside. He had to focus on one thing at a time.

"Taiga, move or you'll get eat!"

Kagami looked up to see Jean and Armin moving to another branch. He looked forwards to see that titan had actually managed to climb up the tree. Kagami fired a cable to where Jean and Armin were and avoided the titan. He watched as it struggled to keep its grip on the tree.

"Hey, I think I know what really going on here," Jean said.

Kagami and Armin looked towards him.

"The reason why we're keeping the titans here is to capture the Female Titan, right?" Jean turned to face Armin and Kagami. "You two said it, there's likely a human controlling a titan." His gaze then changed to Kagami. "Be straight with me, do you really have no idea who could be in control?"

Armin turned his attention to Kagami as well. Kagmi had felt in the back of his mind that when he said he did not know, not too many people bought it. Jean and Armin were two people he expected to not believe him. Armin was smart as it is, and was very perceptive of certain things. Kagami did not have doubt that he was also thinking about who could be in control. No doubt he had a solid theory already. Jean likely just wanted an answer to what was going on, but knew a half-assed answer when he heard one. Kagami released a breath and turned to the two.

"I have a theory, but didn't want to say it in front of Reiner and Josh."

Jean's eyebrow rose. "Why them?"

"I don't trust Reiner. I haven't trusted him in the whole time I've known him. When you live on the streets you pick up on when people start saying bullshit. Reiner says a lot of it, even if he believes in what he's saying," Kagami explained.

"You can't be serious. Reiner is like one of the best in our cadet unit," Jean argued.

"I don't deny that, but it's more about the way he acts. It's almost as if he's putting on a performance. A damn good one too."

"You sure you didn't hit your head when you crashed through that wall?"

"Why Josh?"

Armin's question cut off Kagami's response to Jean's jab at him. This time Kagami's expression became a much somber one.

"Because my theory would break him, in more ways than one."

Jean turned to the red head. He saw that he turned his head to face the ground. He turned back to Armin who seemed to understand something he did not.

"So you think it's-"

"Yeah," Kagami said, cutting off the blonde. "That's who I think it is."

Armin went silent as many things were running through his mind at that moment. Jean's eyes darted between the two. He was being left in the dark about something, and that was pissing him off.

Kagami's eyes then began to scan the environment around him. The titans were still below them, but the sound of cannon fire had ceased.

"Looks like the cannon fire stopped."

"Do you think they captured her?" Armin asked.

Kagami shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Hey, don't just ignore me!" Jean called out.

—-

Back in the forest the remainder of Levi squad had managed to get a decent distance away from the captured Female Titan. They perched themselves int he trees and were discussing the true nature of the mission now that they all knew what it was. Eren and Petra were arguing about how they were told the plan because they were a liability. Kise kept quiet and just listened to everyone's points. To him, Eren's made the most sense. They were all kept in the dark because the higher ups did not want this kind of plan getting out. Eld also agreed with Eren's argument, surprising everyone present.

"Despite being so instrumental for the plan, the Captain kept us in the dark about it," Eld said.

"So, what?" Gunther asked.

"It means he doesn't trust us, which is kind of a big deal," Eld answered. "Think about it. Maybe Eren isn't the only one who can change. What if someone in the regiment was a spy?"

"I agree with that," Kise said.

All eyes turned to him.

"I've been thinking about everything since we escaped from the Female Titan. I'm positive that that's what the Commander was thinking. No doubt the circle is incredibly small. The only ones in the know are likely the Captain, the Commander, Section Commanders Hange and Mike, and Tetsuya. It's likely that they told a few more people, but that's it. They only told people they could absolutely trust. Probably regiment members that go farther back than five years."

"How can you be so sure?" Gunther asked.

"I don't. It's the only think that makes sense to me," Kise answered.

"But why Tetsuya? He joined up around the same time we did," Petra said.

Kise shrugged. "Dunno. It's possible that the Commander trusts him enough for that."

"It explains how he climbed the ranks so quickly," Eld reasoned.

"You're probably right. It does seem like the best explanation," Gunther said.

The others began to agree with Kise's statement. It Kise by surprise that they just latched on to his conclusions so quickly. He would have expected some degree of resistance, especially when it came to Kuroko. Finding them so agreeable on his explanation caught him off guard. It was likely that it was what calmed their nerves down the most. The others began to add on their own ideas. One question did catch Kise's attention, Eld asking who was the likely culprit of Sawney and Bean's killer.

"About that," Kise said. Once again all eyes turned to him. "Tetsuya asked me something about it. He wanted the list of all the Garrison members stationed at Trost when that happened."

"Captain Tetsuya has been investigating that?" Gunther asked.

Kise nodded. "I think so. He mumbled something under his breath about the MP's and the Cadets. He's likely investigating every solider that was present at Trost."

"That's a lot of names to go through," Eld said.

"He's been investigating for a whole month. It's no wonder the Commander trusts him with the missions true purpose," Petra added.

Oluo added his own comments, but it quickly turned to boasting. Petra chastised him for it, while the others largely ignored it. Kise was too busy trying to wrap his own thought around everything. While he had given his theory, there were still too many loose ends. Things that were just not adding up. If there was a spy in the regiment, it would've been known who it likely was. A transformation into a titan was a big spectacle. If they had transformed during the operation, then everyone would have seen it. That was what stumped him the most.

—

On Commander Erwin's order, Hange fired the last harpoons. Once they were embedded in the Female Titan's skin, she could barely move. Kuroko could feel the blisters forming in his hands as he gripped his blades tighter. He wanted to finish this. He wanted to find out who killed so many Scouts. Who was so hellbent on keeping humanity in the dark and having them die.

"Levi, Tetsuya, she's all yours," Erwin said.

"About damn time," Levi said before jumping into action.

The Captains jumped off the branch and launched them themselves into the air. When they were high enough, they shot their cables at the titan's back and jetted towards her hands to cut them off. Just before they could, the Female Titan's hands crystallized and when their blades made contact the blades shattered.

 _What the hell? Why couldn't my blades cut?_ Kuroko thought.

The two landed back on the branch closest to Erwin. The Commander turned towards Kuroko and he showed him his destroyed blades. Erwin nodded in understand and turned back to the Female Titan.

"An interesting ability. So she can harden her skin to protect portions of her body, similar to the one they call the Armored Titan. The question is, how many strikes will it take to chip it away," Erwin mused aloud.

"That'd be a waste of time," Kuroko said.

Erwin nodded. "I agree." Erwin then raised his hand into the air and a Scouts landed next to him.

"Prepare an artillery round. I want her hands blown off."

The Scout let out a surprised gasp. "With all due respect, sir, it would blow her hands off, but also everything behind it."

Erwin turned to face the soldier "Then aim carefully. Sever them at the wrists. On my signal I want an all out salvo."

"Yes, sir!"

Kuroko watched as the soldier descended and ordered the others to go with Commander Erwin's plan. He turned back to the titan to see Levi standing on its head. Kuroko could barely make out what he was saying, but he could tell that he was taunting whoever was inside while also goading them to reveal themselves. Kuroko could only help but admire Levi. He could never muster the courage to stand atop its head. Even if it was restrained, there were too many risks. Kuroko watched everything from behind, so he could not tell if the Female Titan was reacting to Levi's words. He could not shake the unnerving feeling the more he watched Levi. It was as if he was watching a cornered animal and sometimes those would be even more desperate to live.

"Hey, Levi-"

Kuroko was cutoff by the Titan beginning to roar. Kuroko covered his ears. The sound ran through his whole body and it felt like his bones were vibrating. The roar could even be heard at the edge of the forest, where the other Scouts were. The roar kicked up the wind and dust around her as she continued to roar. The roar felt like one last desperate attempt at life. When she stopped everything seemed to come to a stand still. The first one to snap out of it was Mike, who shot towards the Commander, distress written all over his face.

"They're coming! I can smell them!"

"Which direction?" Erwin asked.

"From every direction! Fast. Dozens."

Kuroko heard their conversation and turned to everyone. "All soldiers take to the trees! We got titan's inbound!"

The sound of thundering footsteps filled the area. It sounded like a thunder storm had completely surrounded them. Kuroko watched as soldiers took to the trees. The artillery crew remained however, as Erwin ordered them to speed up.

"Here they are. First wave's coming from the east, and moving fast," Mike said.

Sure enough the louder footsteps were coming from that direction.

"Wagon defense squad! Intercept, now!" Erwin ordered.

Kuroko wanted to jump in and help too, but a glare from Erwin made him stop in his tracks. It was likely that the orders he had given was not something the Commander wanted him to say. However, the soldiers that moved to intercept and distract the titans passed by them unscathed. The titans ignored them entirely.

"Three have broken through! Captain Levi, Captain Tetsuya!"

Kuroko looked up to the Commander, who nodded when the two locked eyes. Kuroko nodded in response and jumped into action. While Levi took out the two closest, Kuroko finished off the farthest. The three titans dropped to the ground dead. However, a shorter titan managed to break through and latched onto the Female Titan's leg. It then began to bite into it. When Kuroko saw that, his eyebrow rose.

 _It ignored everyone in the trees and went straight for her? That means there all going to be on top of her._

Kuroko swung around latched onto a tree. Around them, the thundering footsteps increased as titans drew nearer. Kuroko's head shot towards the Commander to tell him what was going on, but by the look in his eyes, Kuroko could tell he already knew. Not long after, many titans began to burst from the trees, all intent on devouring the Female Titan.

"All soldiers to combat! Defend the Female Titan at all costs!"

Kuroko turned his attention towards the Female Titan and let out a humorless chuckle. "One minute we want to kill you, the next we gotta defend you. You sure do have it lucky."

Kuroko jumped into the action and began to slay titans left and right, along with his fellow Scouts. However, the more they slew, double would replace them. The amount of creatures devouring the Female Titan began to be too many to count. Kuroko did not even keep count on how many he had killed. All he knew was that he was drenched in titan blood and the titans would not stop advancing. Defending the Female Titan was beginning to become a fruitless effort.

"All hands, withdraw!" Erwin yelled.

Everyone moved away from the mass of titans and back onto the trees. They all looked towards there Commander, waiting for the next set of orders.

"Redeploy the formation! Return to Karanese District!"

Kuroko turned his gaze back to the Female Titan, rather, what was left of her. He watched as success was being eaten away. There was nothing he could do about it. Their one chance had evaporated. His one chance to avenge his team was gone. Kuroko tightened his grip on his blades in frustration. His plan had failed. Around him, he could see the soldiers taking in that failure in different ways, and that only served to build up his own.

"Dammit."

Kuroko turned his attention to Erwin, who watched as what was left of the Female Titan was eaten. His expression was a mixture of surprise and horror. Next to him was Levi, who looked even more frustrated than Kuroko. Erwin then turned towards Kuroko. Their gazes met and with a raised hand, he called him over.

—

Within the edge of the forest, the Scouts stationed there were still surprised by the titans sudden desire to sprint into the forest. Kagami stood on a branch and was still trying to catch his breath. He looked down at his knuckles. It had been some time since he last looked at them. Despite having mostly healed and being cleared for duty, he still bandaged them. Today, he was happy that he continued that routine. His knuckles were bleeding, he had reopened his wound. The white bandage was stained red. All the action today caused for it to happen.

"Hold on, you're telling me it's over?"

Kagami turned to Jean, who was looking towards the sky. Kagami followed his gaze and saw the pillars of blue smoke rising in the air. The signal that the mission was over and it was time to return. Kagami could only wonder if they successfully managed to catch the female titan. He turned towards the interior of the forest, wondering what had happened.

Within the forest, Levi Squad also noticed the pillar of blue smoke. Gunter pointed it out, with a hind of relief in his voice. Kise looked to the sky to see the blue as well. He too felt relieved, but something in the back of his head was warning him about something. He tried to ignore it and focus more on the positive, that the mission was over; his first mission with the Scouts was completed.

The squad made sure their gear was ready to go before heading out. Kise could hear Eren asking if they had actually managed to uncover the Female Titan's identity. Petra was quick to say that they did, owing part of that to Eren. Kise chuckled as the teen was surprised he had something to do with it. Kise let Petra do the talking a continued making sure his gear was in order. Despite barely using it, he wanted to make sure nothing was out of place or possibly broken.

Oluo spoke about the matter as well, but what he said actually made sense. The mission was not entirely over until they made it back home. Karanese was his home after all. He wondered if his parents were going to be there. The thought caused for a smile to form on his face.

"Well, the other rookie's smiling. He probably thinks this was a cake walk," Oluo said.

Kise turned to the boastful soldier. "I don't think that actually. This was the most nerve wrakcing thing I've ever done."

"Let him be, Oluo. Sometimes a smile helps brighten things up," Petra said.

Once their gear was in order, they shot off the trees and began to make their way towards their horses.

"I gotta hand it to you Oluo, Petra, for someone who wet themselves the first time out! You've come a long way," Eld said.

Kise's face morphed to one of surprise as his eyes darted between his two superiors. Petra let out an embarrassed scream and told off Eld. Oluo tired to boast his way out of the situation, but that did not stop Eld's teasing. Hearing that made Kise a bit more happy. It humanized the rest of the squad a bit for him. It him feel like part of squad knowing that information, even if it was not something he really wanted to know. Gunther quieted everyone down and them focus, but made sure to add that he had never pissed his pants. Kise laughed at that. At least everyone seemed in good spirits.

Ahead they saw a green pillar of smoke rising into the air. Gunther assumed it was a signal from the Captain and decided to follow it. Everyone nodded in response and followed him towards the location. Gunther shot up his own green smoke to signal the squads position.

—-

Kuroko rode with the rest of team, leaving Levi behind in order for him to replenish his blades. Kuroko could only guess why the Commander gave him that order. He kept his eyes forwards, his mind running a mile a minute. Some many things had happened in quick succession that he did not have time to properly think.

"Why bother having him replenish? There's not time," Hange said. Their voice cathcing Kuroko's attention.

"We saw the Female Titan get eaten. Did we see the person inside suffer the same fate? I didn't." Erwin replied.

Kuroko's eyes widened. The Commander was right. It was highly unlikely that the person controlling the titan would have themselves get eaten, that did not make sense. Kuroko turned his gaze up to the sky. He could see a faint green in the air. His eyes then widened in realization.

"Oh, shit. Kise-kun!"

Kuroko jumped off his horse and shot into the trees. He could not hear Commander or Hange call out for him to stop. Kuroko darted to where he saw the faint trails of green. He had to hurry. He had to get there as quickly as possible. If he did not, the entire team would die and Eren would be captured or killed.

"Kise-kun!"

Kise looked back, wondering where he heard his name come from. However, there was nothing behind him. He could have sworn he heard Kuroko calling to him. He shrugged and turned his attention forwards again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a Scout cloak. He looked to the side to see someone flying next to them. He assumed it was Captain Levi, but it seemed odd that he would have his hood pulled up.

"Oh, shit!" Gunther yelled.

The person then quickly changed direction and brought their swords into an attacking position. The person increased their speed and slashed Gunther across the chest killing him. The squad let out a surprised gasp as their comrade was just killed, seemingly by one of their own. Eren went down to him to see what had happened and his expression confirmed that he had been killed. Kise's eyes darted around the forest, wondering from where that person would strike next. However, they also had to keep moving forwards. Oluo forced Eren to continue forwards, while the others kept looking. Their assailant then appeared behind them.

"Who is that?" Petra asked.

"Keep 'em away from Eren! Ryouta, you stay closest to Eren!" Eld ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

"Dammit! Eld, what's the plan?" Oluo asked.

"No time to get the horses. Make for HQ at full speed!" Eld said.

The squad sped up, but so did their assailant behind them. Kise felt his heart racing and his mind was panicking. They were being attacked by the member of the Scouts, one of their own. He could not wrap his head around it. He had thought that the scouts were a tight-nit unit, betrayal felt like a foreign concept here. But someone was chasing them, intent on killing them and taking Eren. He glanced towards the teen. Fear and regret were in his eyes . The last thing he wanted was to leave Gunther behind. Kise sympathized with him, but in the current moment, their priority was to escape and survive. Kise looked back and saw the assailant move to the side to hide among the trees.

"Is that the Female Titan? Or did she have an accomplice?" Oluo asked.

"Whoever it is, they're going to pay! Even if it's the last thing I do!" Petra replied.

Kise looked back again and this time, the assailant did not appear form behind the tree they passed. Kise felt the dread mounting. It was like massive amounts of pressure just building and building. He tried to figure out from where they would strike next, but his panic was clouding his judgement.

There was an eerie silence as the squad waited for what would happen next. A familiar chill went down Kise's spine. He looked up and saw the sky turn green. His eyes widened in shock and his head shot forwards.

"Speed the fuck up! It's transforming!"

When Kise finished his words lightening came down from the sky followed by the sound of the thunder. The forest filled with light as the transformation happened. From the light emerged the Female Titan as she sprinted at full speed towards them.

"Keep going! She's coming for us!"

As Kuroko sped through the forest, he saw the sky change color, and the lighting bolt fall from the sky. He had a location, he just needed to get there in time. He did not care how spent his blades and gas were. If he had enough, he could make due with what he had.

 _I'm almost there. Just hold out a bit longer._

"Damn you! Not again! I'll kill you, I swear!" Eren yelled as he brought his hand to his mouth.

"Don't!" Eld called out. "We've got this! The three of us will handle her! You get back to base. Go, now! Ryouta, stay with him and don't turn back!"

"Yes, sir!" Kise then turned his attention forwards. "Let's go Eren!"

"But, Ryouta!"

"Zip it. Follow the orders given, dammit. Trust them," Kise said. _If anything goes south, I will turn back to help._

Out of the corner of his eye, Kise could see the other three turning to engage the Female Titan. He knew if anyone could take them on, it would be them as a team. Part of him wished Captain Levi or Kuroko was with them, but they were not and he had to quickly push that thought aside. He had to focus on keeping Eren alive. However, he could not help but spare a glance back. He had to see what Levi Squad was capable of.

The first thing he saw as Eld going in for an overhead strike. However, as the Female Titan reached up to grab him, he quickly moved backwards using the smoke as a cover. The smoke he emitted served more as a cover for Petra and Oluo's attack. The latched their cables on the titans face and slashed her eyes, blinding the titan. The Female Titan stumbled back and put on hand on her nape, protecting it. She then lumbered blindy to a tree and rest against it, likely using it as a base for support. Kise knew now was the time to take her down. Kise smiled and looked forwards again. He was sure that they could take her down.

The three then began to slice as her shoulders. Using the strikes to sever the tendons and ligaments to bring her arms down from protecting her nape. Kise now knew it was over. The element of surprise had vanished and all that was left in those three were rage.

However, the farther the two got from the action the greater the cold feeling in Kise's gut grew. Something did not feel right. He spared a glance back and as Eld moved in to finish her off, one of her eyes shot open. In one quick movement she caught Eld in her mouth and severed his body with her teeth.

 _What the hell? I thought they'd blinded her,_ Kise thought.

He wanted to turn back and help, but he knew they had to keep going forwards. Even if Eld was dead, Petra and Oluo could still take her on. However, that thought did not fill him with confidence. The cold feeling still remained and continued to grow. He had to turn back. Eren had to keep going on his own.

"Eren! Keep going! Don't stop and don't turn back!"

"But, Ryouta, I can help! I can kill her!"

"No! You will keep going and not stop. No matter what!"

Kise then swung around a tree and moved towards the Female Titan. He knew that in the worst case scenario he could still stall long enough. His skills would be enough for Eren to keep going. Kise watched as Petra tried to escape, panic had overtaken her. The Female Titan targeted her first. She sprinted towards her, arms dangling lifelessly behind her. Oluo screamed for her to get higher, but in her panic and fear his words did not reacher. Kise sped up he had to get there quicker. The Female Titan then raised her leg and crushed Petra on a tree. Another was killed. Kise had to get there. He and Oluo could take her down.

As the Female Titan stood still for a moment, Oluo used the moment to close in on her. He was determined to put an end to the death. He latched his cable on her neck and sped up. As his blades came down to strike, instead of cutting flesh they snapped. In that single moment of hesitation, the Female Titan kicked Oluo, killing him instantly.

Kise roared as he got closer. His rage filled scream drew the attention of the Female Titan. She turned to face him too, but was surprised to find no one behind her. She then felt her legs buckle and she was forced to her knees. Kise hand ducked and slashed behind her knees. The titan's single eye scanned all around her, trying to find where the blond would strike next.

Kise could the steam forming under her arms and legs. She was healing, he had to end it a quickly as possible. He had to attack from behind, it was his only option. He then found his opening and closed in to strike. However, just like Oluo his blades snapped when he tried to strike the nape. Kise's eyes widened.

 _How? How did she know I was attacking from the left? My cables never touched her body._

Before he could avoid it, a giant hand caught him. Kise howled in pain as the hand closed around him tightly.

 _She healed her right arm._

The titan then began to squeeze. Kise could feel his gear getting smashed, then came his muscles, finally his bones. When he heard a snap, he knew it was over. he could feel himself drifting in and out of consciousness. He barely registered that Eren had turned back as well, as an angry scream pierced the air. Then the area in front of the Female Titan began to glow with light, Eren had transformed. What followed the lighting was Eren's roar. The Female Titan's grip on Kise loosened, but he could barely feel his body. He made no effort to try and wiggle out. He knew Eren was closing in. He to get out of the way or he would die.

As the Female Titan rose to meet Eren, Kise could hear the faint sounds of blades being drawn. The next thing he knew, he was falling. The sound of gear being engaged filled his ears and something stopped him from falling. In the murkiness of his sight he could barely make out strands of light blue hair.

"I was too late," Kuroko said.

 **AN: With that, this chapter ends. This chapter was a long time coming for me. I had been planning these (and the next chapter's) events since before I began writing this story. When I was still outlining it, this was one event that I wanted to get to. I just hope that I was able to properly convey what had imagined. Part of the reason Kise was so prominent during the story was because I wanted him to be the eyes of Levi Squad instead of Eren. However, will he survive the encounter with the Female Titan or will he suffer the same fate as the rest of Levi Squad? I'll be returning to the 104th soon, right now this is all about Kise and Kuroko. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned for the next one. If you're enjoying feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Follow me on Twitter, as I post story and life updates there as well as other stuff.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Unkillable

"You can't keep being so reckless, Kise-kun!"

"Eh? What's wrong with doing flashy moves?"

"It could get you killed."

Killed. There was that word again. Kise had heard it over an over again. It was all the instructors ever talked about. It was not like he was planning on fighting the titans. He was considered one of the best cadets that come once in a generation. Even then, it was rare. He would hear the instructors talk about how he and the others were unkillable. But Kuroko, someone who was considered part of that same group, was looking at him like he was another foot soldier. That pissed him off.

"Kurokocchi. We're the best in a generation. Take some pride in that," Kise said.

"That won't mean a damn when we're out on the battlefield," Kuroko replied.

"You sound like I'm going to join the Scouts," Kise said, crossing his arms.

"If you had fighting spirit, then you would."

"Not all of us are crazy, Tetsu."

The two teens turned to see five Oriental teens walking towards them. Seeming to lead them was a teen with bright red hair. However, the one who spoke had his hands stuffed in his pockets; Aomine, currently ranked first among the cadets. He lazily strode towards Kuroko and rested an arm on the shorter teen's shoulder. While Kuroko knew he did not mean anything by it, he did not like being used as an arm post. He shrugged his shoulder to get the taller teen off.

"Why are you guys so against the Scouts?"

"Have their missions even been a success?" Midorima retorted pushing up his glasses.

Before Kuroko could respond, the red haired teen raised a hand silencing him.

"No need to bicker. This conversation always leads in the same direction."

"I know, Akashi-kun," Kuroko replied.

"Evening training begins soon. If I'm not mistaken, Atsushi and Ryouta are neck and neck for fourth place," Akashi said.

"I'm still technically in fourth," Murasakibara said lazily.

"And I'm still right on your ass!"

As Murasakibara and Kise bickered, the others present laughed. Kuroko hoped their relationship would remain how it currently was. They all laughed and argued liked siblings. Something Kuroko appreciated. In the back of his mind, what Kise said him replayed in his mind. The seven of them were considered the best in generations. It really did make him feel proud to be part of that distinction.

 _Maybe we really are unkillable._

 _—-_

"I was too late."

Kuroko looked up to see The lighting engulf Eren as he transformed. His titan form emerged with roar and its fist pulled back. As Eren brought his fist down onto the Female Titan, she jumped back and narrowly avoided the punch. Kuroko could hear the crunch of bone as Eren's wrist snapped from the impact. With its legs healed, the Female Titan stood up and brought up one arm, while the other hung limp.

Kuroko could only watch as the two titans fought. Eren fought with uncontrolled rage, while the Female Titan avoided his sloppy attacks. It was obvious that the Female Titan was experienced in hand-to-hand combat. She had years of training. Despite having only one arm, she still fought in a much more controlled manner. If she was not the enemy, he would compliment her.

Kuroko took his eyes off the brawl to take a look at Kise. The blonde's breathing was haggard, but at least he was breathing. Kuroko then felt around his chest. None of his ribs were broken either. He lifted up his shirt and saw that his skin was the color of blood.

 _Internal bleeding. Can't treat that out here."_

Kise's breathing then grew more labored. Kuroko noticed how the blonde was slowly opening his eyes. He also noticed the stream of blood that was coming out of his nose. Kuroko cursed at himself for not seeing that earlier. Kise began to cough. As he did so, blood spurt from his mouth.

Kise slowly opened his eyes. Despite everything being blurry, he could make out Kuroko in his vision. Around him the ground seemed to shake. He could faintly remember encountering the Female Titan and being in her grasp.

"Kurokocchi? Is that you?" Kise asked weakly.

"Yes. It's me. I'm sorry for arriving late."

"Where's Eren?"

Kuroko looked up to see him still in combat with the female titan. His fighting style was still only swinging his arms in a blind rage.

"He's fighting the Female Titan," Kuroko answered.

"And the others?"

Kuroko sucked in a breath. On his way to Kise he saw Gunther's dead body. He arrived too late to save Petra and Oluo, as he witnessed their deaths.

"Dead."

"We have to get Eren out of here," Kise said trying to stand.

However, he could not move his lower body. Kise's weak body attempted to stand again, but his legs would not move. Kise's eyes went wide. He tried to bend his knees, but there was no response. He tried to wiggle his toes, but he could not feel them move.

"You're in no condition to move," Kuroko said.

"Kurokocchi, I can't… I can't move my legs," Kise said, his voice trembling.

Kuroko's hands immediately went to Kise's back. He ran his along his spine. When he reached closer to his hips, he felt his spine being bent in an odd shape. It was not obvious that Kise had a broken spine.

 _Good thing I saved him. He would've been crushed. He's lucky to make it out with just a broken spine._

"I can still help. We have to do something," Kise said.

Kuroko looked up to the brawl. There was no way he would be able to find an opening in that fight. Even with his ability to go unnoticed, getting close would likely end up killing him. He had to wait for an opening. What that opening was, he had no idea. However, Kise could not fight. Not in his current condition.

Eren let loose another punch, which connected this time, causing the Female Titan to stumble. The Female Titan used that moment to run away. However, Eren was quick to give chase. Kuroko wanted to follow, but he had to stay with Kise.

She did not get far, however. Eren closed the distance and let loose another flurry of wild punches. Despite the Female Titan's superior skill, she was not ready for Eren's wild barrage. Kuroko also inferred that her legs still were not fully healed, as they continued to emit steam.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Levi decent from the trees. He stopped for a moment over Petra's body. Kuroko could not tell the emotion he displayed, but he wondered if he felt saddened by her death.

"Levi!"

Levi looked up to see Kuroko. However, something caught both of their attentions. Eren had pinned the Female Titan to the ground. He brought his fist towards her face, but she narrowly avoided the blow. Eren's fist connected with the ground and a sickening snap rang out. Kuroko cringed at the noise, but it was followed by a similar sound. Kuroko looked up to see that Eren's other hand had snapped at the wrist. Eren then roared in her face. As Eren's hand began to heal, his head began to jerk side to side.

Kuroko knew what he was experiencing It was a primitive, feral rage. He had caught a glimpse of that rage when he, Levi, and Erwin spoke to him in the cellar. He could not believe that Eren was somehow winning the fight despite being in that state. It was likely that the Female Titan was not expecting it. Kuroko wished he could do more than just watched, but that was all he could do.

Using that moment of distraction, the Female Titan, now with fully healed arms, grabbed Eren and forced him off of her. Eren let loose another punch, but she easily avoided it and kicked him away. She kicked him with enough force to send him into a tree. Eren recovered quickly and closed the gap in an instant. Kuroko could not believe that speed. He could only infer that Eren was running on pure adrenaline and rage.

Eren's punch grazed the Female Titan's cheek and his second punch caused her to fall to the ground. Eren's ferocity was keep the Female Titan unbalanced, unable to properly attack or counterattack. Eren's wild brutality caused him to stumble, but he was quick to recover. The Female Titan slumped against a tree and Eren roared, ready to let loose another punch. The Female Titan avoided the blow and stood up, using the moment to get in an actual fighting stance.

Kuroko understood that now Eren did not stand a chance. He also knew that the fighting would move deeper into the forest. He had to follow it, but he could not leave Kise behind. He could hear the sound of cables firing and saw Levi giving chase.

 _Dammit. I guess I don't have a choice._

From his holster, Kuroko took out a flare gun and handed it to Kise. The blonde looked towards the gun then back to Kuroko.

"Use it when you hear the sounds of fighting have stopped," Kuroko said.

Kise nodded in understanding.

"Sit tight. I'll be back soon," Kuroko said.

He gave one last look at Kise. He let out a breath and followed the sounds of fighting. He did not go as far as he had anticipated and perched himself on a branch. When he landed, he saw that the Female Titan launched a punch that destroyed Eren's jaw. He could see that the Female Titan's fist had crystalized, just like when he and Levi attempted to cut he hands off. He could also make out the look in her eyes. She was now serious. This would be where she would be in control of the fight. Her expression then changed to surprise, as Eren used his upper jaw to ride up the Female Titan's arm and land a punch into her stomach.

Kuroko had to give Eren credit. The teen could fight a lot better than he had anticipated. Even with his wild fighting style, he still managed to get hits in. Even he had a bit more control over himself, he would be able to maybe eek out a victory.

The blow caused the Female Titan to rise into the air and land against a tree. She crashed with a loud that made the ground shake.

 _This really is a battle between titans,_ Kuroko thought. _There's no way I'd be able to get in there to deal a blow._

Eren then moved to knee the downed titan, but she avoided the blow. Eren then rested against the tree, exhaustion taking hold. Kuroko looked over to the Female Titan, who was in the same state as Eren. The battle would soon be over and the victor would decide what move he made. He had no idea where Levi was, but he could not worry about him at that moment. He was curious as to why the Female Titan was not taking the opportunity to escape. Now was her chance, but if that did happen, both him and Levi would swoop in to stop her. Kuroko readied himself for that outcome, but was surprised to she the Female Titan turn back and face Eren.

She got into a fighting stance and Eren moved to continue battling, but stopped. Kuroko rose an eyebrow. Eren's ferocity was quelled in a single moment. A single gesture from the Female Titan stopped him in his tracks. Kuroko studied the Female Titan's stance. It did not seem like anything out of the ordinary. She brought her arms up to guard her face. But something about it caused for Eren to stop moving.

In that instant of hesitation, the Female Titan let loose a kick that decapitated Eren and sliced the tree. Eren's head sailed through the air as his body fell limp on the forest floor. Kuroko could see the expression on his face, it was one of realization and unacceptance.

 _Did he realize who is in control?_ Kuroko thought.

Kuroko continued to watch what unfolded with curiosity. He had to know what was going on. A piece to the puzzle was found and he had to find out what it was. The Female Titan moved towards Eren's defeated titan body and opened its mouth wide. She chomped on Eren's nape and ripped the flesh off, causing for Eren to jump out. He could hear a voice call out to Eren, but he ignored it and continued to watch. She then bit down on the nape, ripping Eren from his titan body. She then turned away and began to run out of the forest.

The sound of cables filled Kuroko's ears just as the titan's footsteps faded deeper into the forest. He looked up to see Mikasa moving towards the Female Titan

"Shit!"

He quickly sped towards her to stop her. He wanted to take a moment to catalog all the information he had just witnessed, but that was going to have to wait. Right now he had to stop another person filled with rage. This time there were not two titans clashing. However, he enraged speed was too much for him to keep up. His gas levels were low and he only had two sets of blades left. He had to conserve what he had left.

"Ackerman! Stand down!"

He knew his words were not going to reach her, but he had to try. Mikasa engaged the titan, cutting from every angle she went in from. Kuroko watched and mentally gave her credit, she was as good as the reports said she was. She was almost as skilled as Levi. But there was one key difference, he knew how keep himself controlled.

She landed a cut on the back of the Female Titan's knee, causing her to stumble to the ground. Kuroko used the moment to speed up a bit to catch up. Despite the Female Titan's weakened state, she was still capable of dealing a deathly blow. Mikasa tried to slash at the hand covering her nape, but her blades snapped as her hands crystallized. Mikasa latched herself onto a tree in order to rearm herself and Kuroko finally managed to catch up and latch himself onto the same tree.

"Ackerman!"

Mikasa looked up to see the captain with a streak of blue hair. He could clearly see her rage filled expression. It would not be easy to persuade her to disengage. He spared a glance towards the Female Titan. Her leg was steaming and her eyes were firmly planted on Mikasa. It likely meant she could not see him.

"Disengage, right now. That is an order!"

"But she has Eren! I'll tear her apart myself!"

"I gave you an order, recruit!"

Before Mikasa could respond, the Female Titan punched the tree. Mikasa and Kuroko barely avoided in time. As the two Scouts found the bearings, the Female Titan resumed her sprint into the forest. Mikasa was quick to follow and Kuroko groaned as he gave chase.

 _This girl is way too devoted to that kid,_ Kuroko thought.

Before Kuroko could catch up, Levi appeared and grabbed Mikasa. He looked back and acknowledged Kuroko's presence with a nod. Kuroko sped up a bit to keep pace with the both of them.

"We'll stay back for now," Levi ordered.

The three could barely make out the sound of the flare gun firing. The three looked back to see a green plume of smoke in between the tree line. For Kuroko, that meant Kise was still awake and alive.

"Ackerman, go to where the signal flare originates from," Kuroko ordered.

"What?! That's not important right now, rescuing Eren is!" Mikasa argued.

Now, Kuroko was angry. He was used to his subordinates arguing his orders, but this time he would not have it.

"I'm aware of that. Captain Levi and I will handle it. I need you to do what I said, no, ordered you to do," Kuroko replied, his voice cold as ice.

"I can-"

"No! This isn't up for discussion! There is a man down over there and he can't fight back. The signal flare will get others to his location as well, but you can get there faster. Am I clear?"

Mikasa did not respond, her expression hardened. She glared at her superior, which Kuroko responded in kind.

"Am. I. Clear?"

With reluctance, Mikasa followed orders and turned around. She spared one look back, which was a glare aimed towards Kuroko. Kuroko, meanwhile, did not look back.

"That was awfully cold of you," Levi said.

"I had to get the point across."

"What's Ryouta's condition?"

"Alive, but barely. He's bleeding internally. He's got a broken spine and is paralyzed from the waist down because of it," Kuroko answered. "I showed up too late to save any of them. I'm sorry, Levi."

Levi did not respond to that. He kept his attention forwards. Kuroko knew Levi's silence was his form of grieving. He also knew that he allowed himself to grieve for a moment before focusing on the mission at hand.

"She's slowed down. That fight wore her out, plus Ackerman's little stunt helped. However, I don't think Eren's alive. She bit the whole nape off," Levi said.

"In any other situation, I'd agree. But she's after Eren specifically. I'm positive that she would not kill him. She needs him alive for some reason," Kuroko replied.

"How're you on gas?" Levi asked.

"I should have enough to take her down," Kuroko said.

"If you run out, I ain't saving you," Levi replied.

Kuroko let out a dry chuckle. "If you have the time to joke, then we should be able to take her down easy."

As the two followed the Female Titan, they discussed their plan of attack. While Levi was still hesitant to accept Eren being alive, Kuroko's words slightly convinced him of the possibility.

"How're we going to play this? She won't notice you just like other titans, so how do we attack?"

Kuroko smiled. "Simple. You'll be the distraction."

Levi scoffed. "Yeah, right. You barely have enough gas left. It'll be better if you let me handle the cutting. You play support."

"To be honest, I think she has a vague idea of my presence. She'll pick up on the fact that there are two of us," Kuroko said. "Though, she'll definitely register you as the bigger threat and try to take you down first."

Levi nodded in response. "Then it's settled."

Kuroko nodded and sped up to get in front of the Female Titan. The sound of his gear being used caught the attention of the Female Titan, but her eyes darted around the forest floor trying to find him. The sound of a second set of gear caught her attention as well. The Female Titan looked up to see Levi behind her. Her gaze then shifted back to the ground, trying to find Kuroko again. Suddenly, the Female Titan pivoted on one foot and spun around to launch a punch towards Levi.

Levi dodged the blow and rode up the Female Titan's arm, slicing it in the process. The move left the Female Titan stunned and was unprepared for Levi's assault on her face. Jumping off her bicep, Levi plunged his blades into her eyes. The Female Titan used her hand to cover her nape and Kuroko used that moment to slash at her legs. She stumbled to the ground and slumped against a tree. Levi then descended and began to slash all over her upper body. His quick movements did not allow for Kuroko to attack as well.

 _He's looking out for me,_ Kuroko thought as he cocked his head to the side. _I think._

As another slash connected, the arm that was defending her nape slowly dropped. Kuroko knew that it meant that Levi had cut the tendons in her shoulders. Her head then began to fall forwards, her body going limp. In any other situation Kuroko could have gone in for the kill, but in that moment something was stopping him. A sense of dread that he had felt before. He had to wait for Levi to make sure she could not move her body. As Levi swung around a tree to move in for another barrage of slashes, the sound of gear being deployed filled Kuroko ears.

 _That isn't Levi,_ Kuroko thought as his eyes darted around the forest.

Kuroko then noticed that hook that latched onto the titans back. He followed it and saw Mikasa darting towards the titan's nape. Kuroko's eyes widened at the sight of her. She had disobeyed his order to return, but was now putting her life at risk.

Levi noticed too and called out to her. "Don't do it!"

As Mikasa closed the distance, the Female Titan crystalized her nape and brought up one of her arms to swat her away. Kuroko moved to stop her, but Levi made it there first, pushing her out of the way. He planted a foot to jump off of her, but something made him wince in pain. Kuroko used that moment to slash at the titan's jaw to force it open. The Female Titan's jaw hung open, revealing Eren covered in saliva. Mikasa called out to him, but he did not respond. Levi adjusted his course to grab him and pulled him out without resistance.

"Got him! It's time to go! He's alive too!"

Kuroko released a breath he did not know he was holding in. He then turned his gaze towards Mikasa, while glad she was not killed, he was beyond pissed off.

"I thought I told you to go back!" Kuroko yelled at Mikasa.

"We'll discuss that later. We got Eren. That means we're done here. Don't make things personal. We get you love him, but don't act crazy." Levi said, his final words meant solely for Mikasa.

Levi was the first to move out, followed by Mikasa. Kuroko was about to move as well, but he spared one last look at the Female Titan. He was surprised to find tears in her eyes. His anger shifted from Mikasa disobeying him, to seeing the titan cry.

 _After killing so many of us, you have the gall to cry?_

Kuroko wanted to pull whoever was controlling her out, but he controlled that urge. He would have to wait for another day to do that. He spared one last look before following Levi and Mikasa. He had to get back to main unit to resupply. His gas was running dangerously low. His mind then drifted to Kise, hoping the blonde was still alive and that someone had found him.

—

When the trio made it back to where Kise and the other bodies were, Kise had passed out again. Luckily members of the regiment had also seen Kise's flare. Kuroko was surprised to see Momoi and Connor among the group there. Momoi was by Kise's side, making sure his body was handled with care. He could see that she was fighting back tears, but she had shed some already. Connor was collecting the bodies of the other members of Levi squad, but he spent the most time staring at Petra's. He too was fighting back tears. When the two noticed the trio arrive, Momoi sprinted over to her friend and embraced him with a tight hug. The two said nothing to each other.

When the two separated, Connor lightly punched his arm. It was their way of showing they were friends. In that moment, however, they both knew it held a different meaning.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough," Kuroko said, his gaze falling to ground.

"You tried your damndest. That's more than enough," Connor said.

"We recovered Jonathan, Rachel, and Simon's bodies already. When we saw the flare, Connor and I tried to get here as fast as we could," Momoi added.

"Good. We'll give the members of our squad a proper burial when we get back. As well as everyone we lost," Kuroko said. "How's Ryouta?"

"Alive, but in bad shape. He needs to get behind the walls quickly. I don't know if we'll make it in time," Momoi answered, sadness in her tone.

Kuroko balled his fists. Knuckles turned white as he gipped tighter and tighter. He was not going to lose anyone else today. He barked ordered for everyone get moving, which were complied with quickly. They had to meet up with the Commander and the rest of the regiment outside the forest.

As everyone began to move out, Connor placed a hand on his shoulder. Kuroko turned to face him, but his comrade did not.

"When we get back, we're having a talk."

Kuroko's eyes shifted to the floor. He knew what Connor was referring to. He owed an explanation to him and Momoi.

"Yeah. I know."

—-

When the group met up with the rest of the regiment, they were beginning to load the bodies that were recoverable onto the empty wagons. The wounded Eren and Kise were placed on different wagons, as their wounds would have to be treated while en route back. Kuroko helped in placing Kise onto one of the wagons. He grew increasingly worried about the blonde's condition. His breathing had become erratic and blood continued to stream down his nose. He would occasionally have a coughing fit where he would spit out blood. Kuroko could not believe that Kise was the only survivor of Levi Squad, even then it felt like he had one foot in the grave already.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mikasa walking up to Eren's wagon. He had yet to speak to her about her disobeying his orders. While he wanted to hold off until they returned to Karanese, now seemed like the best moment.

"Ackerman."

Mikasa's head shot up and turned to the captain.

"Captain, I-" she stopped speaking when he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You deliberately disobeyed the order of a superior. If the situation wasn't what it was, your punishment would be even greater. However, given the situation, I'll reprimand you this once. Do it again, and the consequences will be even greater. Am I clear?"

Kuroko kept his voice even. While he was furious, he was just as susceptible to acting on impulse as she was.

"I understand, sir. It won't happen again," Mikasa said, her faze returning to Eren.

Kuroko followed her eyes. He let out a breath and removed the hand on her shoulder.

"I get you care about him, but the mission always comes first. Your actions almost cost you your life." Kuroko paused, allowing for his words to sink. "Answer me this: is trading your life for his worth it?"

Mikasa's head shot towards him and she opened her mouth to speak. However, she stopped herself when she saw the Captain's gaze.

"Don't answer it now. Think on it."

Kuroko turned away and walked to another area, leaving Mikasa to be accompanied by only her thoughts.

—

"The captain really laid it on thick to Mikasa, huh?" Jean asked as he put down one of the bodies.

"I'll say. If what Aline said is true, adding what the captain said, I say she got off easy," Kagami replied.

The two remained silent for a moment. Armin, who was with them, was also quiet. Armin kept his gaze on pile of bodies on the cart, while Kagami and Jean looked towards the bodies that were yet to be loaded up.

"This is the part of our job I'll never get used to," Jean said, breaking the silence.

"You're not alone in that," Armin replied

"When you live on streets, you get used to the sight of people dying," Kagami added.

"I guess death if just everywhere. Even those used to seeing it aren't spared."

Jean's eyes drifted to the wagon where Kise was. It was easy to find, with Momoi and Kuroko standing by it.

"To think, even those considered unkillable can die."

"Huh?" Armin asked, looking up.

Even Kagami had to wonder what he was talking about. The two followed Jean's eyes to what he was looking at. When they found it, Armin was the first to realize what he meant. It took Kagami a moment to remember.

"Yeah. I've heard the stories," Armin said.

"Isn't he just injured?" Kagami asked.

"From what I heard, he's got a broken spine. Paralyzed from the waist down too. He might not be dead, but his fighting days are over," Jean answered. "I can't help but wonder if I'll be next."

There was heavy silence following that. Kagami tired to find something to busy himself with, but his thoughts always led to the same thing. He was consumed with the thoughts of the Female Titan. He tried to push them aside, but it kept screaming in his brain.

"Try not to obsess over it," Armin said, breaking the silence.

Kagami looked towards him and was surprised to see a smile, even if it was heavily strained.

"Only thing that train of thought it good for is breaking your nerve. Believe me. Push it out of your mind."

Kagami tried to follow Armin's words, but could not. He had resolved himself to die already. Losing his life on mission for the Scouts was the least of his worries. He tried to forget about the time he tried to actually kill himself and could feel the resolve to do so fade away.

"Come on, Taiga. We still got more bodies to pile up," Jean said as he jumped off the wagon.

Kagami nodded and followed the two to the rows of bodies. He wondered if Tatsuya was looking down on him right now. Asking why he did not die too. He could only guess that because of his resolve to die, he was just that much more willing to survive. Kagami chuckled to himself.

 _Maybe, I really am a coward._

 _—_

From Kise's wagon, Kuroko could hear the commotion by Commander Erwin. He was used to that kind of yelling by now. The newer soldiers always wanted to recover those closest. He tried once to convince Erwin of doing that, but he realized quickly that there was no use fighting it. He sympathized with those that fought those orders, even believed Erwin to be heartless at one point, but reality was not as forgiving. While he made it a point to know everyone in the regiment, he also made sure to keep his distance with all of them. Because he would be the same as the two fighting to recover their friend.

 _I just hope they don't do anything stupid._

"Tetsuya."

Kuroko looked up to see the Commander walking towards him. Kuroko moved to salute him, but a raise of the hand stopped him.

"No need for that. Not right now at least."

"Yes, sir."

Erwin's gaze moved to Kise. Watching as his labored breathing made his chest rise and fall at odd intervals.

"How is he?"

"He needs medical attention. He'll make it to Karanese," Kuroko answered.

"Let's hope he does. We move out immediately."

Kuroko could tell his voice did not have the usual authoritative tone. While present, it was inconsistent. The mission's failure was weighing him down more than Kuroko anticipated. He just hoped something good came out of the failure. He hoped it was Kise's recovery, but anything at this point would help improve the mood.

"Tetsu, You ride with Ki-chan," Momoi said. "We'll take care of your horse and ride close by."

Kuroko nodded and jumped onto the wagon. "Thank you, Momoi-san." He then glanced back down to Kise. "Just hold out a bit longer, Kise-kun. We'll get you home."

Once everyone was ready, the Scouts began the trek back to Karanese. The ride was silent. There was no chatter among the ranks. The only sound was hoofbeats and creaking of wagons. It was obvious that everyone wanted to get back home as quickly as possible. Not encountering titans would assist in that greatly.

Kuroko kept his head down, staring solely at the blonde in front of him. Because of the wagon, he was further back in the formation. To his sides were Momoi and Connor. Momoi kept sparing glances towards him and Kise, while Connor kept his eyes forwards. During most of the retreats, he, Momoi, and Connor would try to keep their spirits up with some type of banter. The retreat for this mission, however, was different. Connor's silence was aimed towards Kuroko. No doubt he was frustrated that Kuroko had not told him the real purpose of the mission. Kuroko could not blame him for feeling that way.

"Tetsuya!"

Kuroko looked up and saw that Connor was looking back and Momoi as well. Kuroko turned to where they were looking and a horrified expression came to his face. Behind them was a small group of titans chasing them. However, when he looked closer, he saw that the titans were chasing two soldiers. With one of the soldiers was body. Kuroko realized what was going on.

 _They actually did it. Dammit. They're endangering everyone else,_ Kuroko thought as he drew his blades.

"Connor, Satsuki, if they get too close prepare for battle," Kuroko ordered.

"Yes, sir," The two said at the same time.

Kuroko noticed Levi passing by them, moving to the rear of the group. Levi and Kuroko locked eyes and Kuroko seemed to understand Levi's plan. Kuroko nodded in understanding and sheathed his blades. Connor and Momoi looked to each other, wondering what the two conveyed simply by looking.

"You guys… aren't going to like Levi's plan," Kuroko said.

"Don't tell me," Connor replied.

Momoi did not respond. She shook her head and kept her attention forwards. Connor could not keep his emotions in check and followed Levi. He was going to argue with the captain's decision. As much as Kuroko wanted to do the same, there was no other option. While there was an argument, and Connor told Levi off, Kuroko could hear the thudding of bodies louder than hoofbeats. Kuroko uttered a silent apology, but spared a glance back. He saw one of the body's cloth be undone and who he saw made his stomach turn upside down. He wanted to give them all a proper burial, now that would be impossible. He would honor them the only way he knew how, fighting.

The dumping of the bodies gave them the speed they needed to outrun the titans. The silent trek resumed again. Conor returned to his previous position. Kuroko could see the multitude of emotions on his face. He wanted to say something, but nothing would help him. Not at that moment. Kuroko returned to watching Kise, who had yet to recover consciousness.

 _Just a bit longer._

Because of the sudden encounter with titans, the regiment had to stop to regain their bearings as well as do a head count. Kuroko and his group kept to themselves as final check were made. However, their silence was broken when Kise began to cough violently. Kuroko quickly sat up and moved the blonde's head up. Once again, he coughed up blood. Kuroko put a hand on his forehead and it felt like it was one fire. He was burning up with a fever. His eyes slowly began to open, but for Kise he could barely make out Kuroko's blurry silhouette.

"Is that you, Kurokocchi?"

"Yeah, it's me. I'm right here," Kuroko said, a bit of panic in his voice. "Momoi-san, water!"

"On it." Momoi jumped off her horse and sprinted towards the supply wagons.

"I still can't feel my legs," Kise said, his voice hoarse.

"When we get back, the doctors will fix you up," Kuroko replied.

"Back to where?"

"Your home. You'll be able to see your family again."

"But I can hear them, calling out to me," Kise said.

He then raised an arm and held it towards the sun. Kuroko's eyes widened and his panic increased.

"You're just hearing things."

"I can hear my sisters. They can't wait to see me again," Kise said.

Kuroko could see the tears beginning to form in the blonde's eyes. They were happy tears. The sight of them caused for Kuroko's own tears to begin to well up. He was losing his friend right in front of him.

"Just hang on a bit longer, please." Please could barely come out.

"Don't worry, Kurokocchi. After all…we're…un…kill…able." When Kise finished his sentence, his arm began to fall. The tears in his eyes falling too. Kuroko grabbed it and could feel the warmth escaping it.

"Hey, Kise-kun, just hang on a bit longer. We're almost there," Kuroko said, his own tears beginning to fall.

Kuroko began to scream out for his friend to hold on. Everyone nearby turned to see what was going on. Connor got off his horse and climbed onto the wagon. He put two fingers on his neck. He let out a defeated sigh when he did not feel a pulse. He moved to Kuroko's side, who had yet to realize what had happened. He placed a hand on his shoulder causing for the his captain to turn to him. Connor saw something he had never seen on his face, sadness. Genuine sadness. His usual monotone was gone.

"He's gone. I'm sorry," Connor said, but barely make out the words.

Kuroko turned back to the blonde and tried everything he could to resuscitate him. Even when it did not work, he continued anyway.

"I brought the water. How is he?"

Connor looked up to see Momoi sprinting closer with a canteen. When the two locked eyes, Momoi came to a full stop and dropped the canteen. Just like Kuroko, she broke down too as she inched closer to the wagon. When she saw Kise, she buckled at her knees and collapsed to the ground, tears welling up.

The soldiers around finally realized what was going on. They too felt the sting of Kise's loss, but in a different way. They all knew how he and Kuroko were part of a group considered to be unkillable. With one of them now dead, it made the dreary atmosphere even bleaker.

Erwin understood the situation, but they had to keep moving. He ordered everyone to assemble and continue to trek. It would be an even more depressing ride back. Now they had a body to bring back, which would make the decision to dump the other bodies questionable to the others.

—

When they arrived, Kuroko tried to block out everyone's whispers. He was used to the jeer by now, but right now it felt different. The overwhelming negativity, along with the death of his friend was wearing him down.

"Even Ghost looks defeated."

"Things must've been real bad if that happened."

Kuroko was about to jump out of the wagon and hunt down whoever said that. The sight of Kise's body calmed him down, but it did not temper his rage. He had spoken back to the onlookers once. It was a right of passage for anyone joining the Scouts. You get one of those. When you use it, you have just take in everyone's words the next time.

There was on person that was always loud and talkative. To Kuroko they always sounded the same. Same voice, same physique, same appearance, same everything. Those were the ones who were hardest to block out. Those were the words that hurt the most. It would always be the one who would sing their praises before they left as well.

He was not surprised when someone spoke out against that person. It was likely one of the recruits. However, that always meant trouble for the regiment. Kuroko stood up and jumped off the wagon. He ignored Momoi calling out to him and walked towards where the commotion could be heard. He looked up to see a girl talking down the person he imagined in his head. He could see the obvious pain the man was in as the girl had likely punched him. It always happened.

He saw a short blonde girl move to stop it, but when she caught sight of Kuroko she stopped. Kuroko put a hand on the recruit causing for her to stop talking. The man paled when he saw him. The recruit looked back and the color that remained on her face disappeared. He pulled her behind him and bowed towards the man. His Oriental side more noticeable than usual.

"I'm sorry for the trouble she caused. She's new to the regiment. This isn't how we usually conduct ourselves. I'll make sure she receives the proper punishment," Kuroko said. His tone was dead. As if he was speaking on autopilot.

"She better, dammit. You shouldn't have come back anyway, damn Oriental," the man cursed.

Kuroko felt his anger well up, but he controlled himself. It was something he was used to, but in that moment it felt different. He rose from his bow and grabbed the girl by the arm.

"You're absolutely right, sir."

Everyone who heard Kuroko speak, stopped talking in that instant. Even the man who spoke ill of him and the Scouts. The girl did not speak a word. When the two were back in group of Scouts, Kuroko let go of the girl and turned towards her.

"What's your name?"

"Aline Holde, sir."

"You've let out your frustration this once. We'll let it slide. Do it again, and there will be consequences. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir," Aline said.

"Get back into formation."

Aline nodded and moved back to her position. Kuroko sighed as began to walk back to his position. He could overhear a veteran talk to Aline about Kuroko when he is angry. It did not happen often, but he could get visibly angry.

When Kuroko got back to the wagon, instead of riding on it he mounted his horse. He looked towards Kise again. No longer present were the irregular rises and falls of his chest. The blonde was now devoid of life. He had put a cloth over his face as it was the least he could do for him. He wondered how he was going to tell the others about Kise's death. It weighed on his mind more than he was expecting.

 **AN: Here ends this chapter. Sorry for taking so long with a new update. This quarantine stuff made this a bit difficult with school work. There was also the fact that my laptop needed to get fixed. Basically life made things a bit complicated.**

 **With that out of the way, how about this chapter. This was an event that I had planned since I began this story. Maybe alluding to it in my previous notes made it obvious to predict. Regardless of that, I hoped you felt something as I wrote Kise's death. I wanted to add some weight to the story by having one of GoMs members die. I hope that doesn't turn you away from the story. I hope you can see the story reasoning behind my choice.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. If you enjoyed feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Follow me on Twitter. I post story updates and other stuff.**


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